Tipperary won the battle of the champions at Semple Stadium as the All-Ireland kingpins from 2016 saw off League holders Clare by seven points.
John McGrath collected ten points – split evenly between play and placed balls – as Tipp won by seven points in Thurles.
It was a strong second half display from Tipperary that kept their 100 per cent record intact.
Five of Tipp’s six starting forwards were on target from play, as John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer notched five points.
But the worry for Tipp was the loss of three players to injury – 2016 captain Brendan Maher going off with a shoulder injury before half-time, with Niall O’Meara and Donagh Maher succumbing to head knocks in the second half.
With Tipperary having already used five subs, the loss of Donagh Maher left the Premier County with 14 men deep in stoppage time, but the points were secured.
Clare also suffered a massive injury setback of their own, as corner back Oisín O’Brien was carried off with suspected cruciate knee ligament damage.
Weather conditions weren’t conducive to good hurling but both sides served up some good passages of fare nonetheless, Tipp looking particularly fluent in patches.
But the hosts had to come from behind to claim the points on offer, as Clare led by 0-11 to 0-10 at half-time.
Tipp, playing against the breeze in front of 7,254 spectators, started in blistering fashion and led by 0-7 to 0-2 before Clare took over, landing nine of the next ten points on offer.
It was a period of play not without its collateral damage for Tipperary, as Brendan Maher suffered his injury while contesting possession on the Old Stand side of the field.
But early in the second half, Tipp did get a firm grip on proceedings, now playing with the breeze blowing towards the Town End.
They would win the second half by 18 points to ten, with O’Dwyer looking particularly good.
When the dust settled, former dual player Steven O’Brien had done his chances of long-term inclusion no harm at all with three points from play, a tally matched by Noel McGrath.
There was also a neat cameo from Kiladangan’s Paul Flynn, who came off the bench to score two points.
The man of the match award went to Tomás Hamill, pushed into full-back duty when James Barry was ruled out through illness, with Pádraic Maher coming into the starting line-up at left-half-back.
Hamill tied up Clare dangerman Aaron Shanagher but the visitors did have an impressive first half showing from John Conlon, whose sniping led to Seamus Kennedy, man of the match for Tipp against Waterford last time out, being taken off.
Podge Collins was also good in a roving role out around the middle third, picking off four points from play, while sub Ian Galvin scored three points after he was introduced.
Tipperary: D Mooney; J O’Dwyer, T Hamill, D Maher; S Kennedy, R Maher (0-01f), P Maher; B Maher (0-01), B Heffernan; S O’Brien (0-03), N O’Meara (0-01), N McGrath (0-03); A McCormack, J McGrath (0-10, 5f), J O’Dwyer (0-05).
Subs: W Ryan for Kennedy (31), M Breen for B Maher (inj., 34), D McCormack (0-01) for O’Meara (inj., 40), P Flynn (0-02) for A McCormack (56), S Curran (0-01) for Heffernan (67).
Clare: P Kelly; O O’Brien, C Dillon, S Morey (0-01); B Bugler, C Cleary, D Fitzgerald; J Shanahan, D Reidy (0-06f); P Collins (0-04), J Conlon (0-04), C Malone; C McInerney (0-01), A Shanagher, A Cunningham (0-01).
Subs: S McNamara for O’Brien (inj., 53), I Galvin (0-03) for Cunningham (59), J McCarthy (0-01) for Shanahan (59), P Duggan for Shanagher (67), P Donnellan for Reidy (69).
Referee – B Kelly (Westmeath)
