SATURDAY 20 MAY
Leinster SHC round 4
Kilkenny v Dublin, UPMC Nowlan Park, 6pm
Christy Ring Cup round 5
Tyrone v London, Carrickmore, 1.30pm
Derry v Mayo, Owenbeg, 1.30pm
Sligo v Meath, Markievicz Park, 1.30pm
Nickey Rackard Cup round 5
Armagh v Louth, Box-It Athletic Grounds, 2pm
Donegal v Wicklow, Letterkenny, 2pm
Roscommon v Fermanagh, Athleague, 2pm
Lory Meagher Cup round 5
Cavan v Leitrim, Kingspan Breffni, 1pm
Monaghan v Longford, Cloghan, 1pm
Warwickshire v Lancashire, Pairc na hEireann, 1pm
SUNDAY
Leinster SHC round 4
Galway v Antrim, Pearse Stadium, 2pm
Wexford v Westmeath, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 3pm
Munster SHC round 4
Clare v Cork, Cusack Park, Ennis, 2pm
Tipperary v Limerick, FBD Semple Stadium, 4pm
ONLINE
Live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app. Highlights also available across the weekend.
TV
Clare v Cork and Tipperary v Limerick live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Kilkenny v Dublin live on GAAGO
Highlights on The Saturday Game and The Sunday Game, 9.30pm, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
RADIO
Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday and Sunday Sport. Also live updates on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an Lae.
WEATHER
Saturday: It'll be cloudy for most with patches of light rain, drizzle and mist. More persistent outbreaks of rain will develop in the west and northwest during the late afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures of 15 to 19 degrees in a light variable breeze.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with scattered outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, although some brighter spells will develop in the afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures of 13 to 15 degrees in the north and 16 to 19 degrees in the south, with light northerly winds. For more visit met.ie
It's the second-last rounds in both the Leinster and Munster hurling championships and some places in the knockout stages of the All-Ireland series should be confirmed.
Following Limerick's first defeat since 2019 last time out against Clare, there has been much wonder expressed at the fact that the four-in-a-row chasers could join Waterford and be eliminated this weekend.
But for that to happen, not only would they have to lose to Tipperary in Semple Stadium but Cork would also have to beat Clare in the first of a Munster double-header on RTÉ2 tomorrow.
Both results going against Limerick would seem somewhat unlikely.
Tipperary certainly seem a renewed proposition under Liam Cahill this year and come into Sunday's clash at Semple Stadium unbeaten, having beaten the Banner and drawn with Cork from a winning position.
But the loss of free-taker Jason Forde (hamstring) for the remainder of the provincial action is a big blow.
Two-time All-Star Patrick 'Bonner' Maher makes his first championship start in three years though while there is also a surprising change of goalkeeper as Rhys Shelly replaces Barry Hogan.
Mark Kehoe, scorer of 1-04 off the bench against Cork and Eoghan Connolly also come in as Sean Ryan and Johnny Ryan drop out.
Former Treaty forward Niall Moran thinks Liam Cahill might be trying to keep some ammunition in reserve for the closing stages.
"The league match, in the second half, Limerick outscored Tipp 1-16 to 0-09, and in the last 10 minutes of last year's championship they outscored them 2-06 to 0-03," he told The Championship.
"Is it possible he will finish with his strongest team as opposed to start with his strongest team? I think so.
"That period after half-time is where a lot of Limerick's challengers have gone at them and it's being able to sustain that intensity. In Waterford's case, that's where they fell down but that was the difference for Clare."
A first win for Tipperary over Limerick since the 2019 round-robin would guarantee an All-Ireland quarter-final at a minimum and mark quite a turnaround from last year's pointless campaign.
But John Kiely's champions will surely have a kick in them after losing that long unbeaten record.
Gearoid Hegarty defies social-media waffle that he had left the Limerick panel to replace Cathal O'Neill while Cian Lynch is also fit to start, having gone off injured against Clare.
ACL victim Sean Finn is replaced by Mike Casey. Whether their defence can again muzzle a Tipperary forward unit that has scored seven goals in two games could be crucial.
Though Tipp have also conceded seven at the other end of the pitch and if the gaps that were there against Clare and Cork reappear then Limerick are more than capable of exploiting them.
Tipperary: Rhys Shelly; Cathal Barrett, Michael Breen, Ronan Maher; Eoghan Connolly, Bryan O'Mara, Seamus Kennedy; Dan McCormack, Alan Tynan; Conor Stakelum, Patrick Maher, Noel McGrath; Jake Morris, Gearoid O’Connor, Mark Kehoe.
Subs: Barry Hogan, Conor Bowe, Seamus Callanan, John Campion, Pauric Campion, Joe Fogarty, Enda Heffernan, Brian McGrath, John McGrath, Johnny Ryan, Sean Ryan.
Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Mike Casey, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes; Darragh O'Donovan, William O’Donoghue; Gearoid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Seamus Flanagan, Peter Casey.
Subs: Jamie Power, Ciaran Barry, Conor Boylan, Colin Coughlan, Aaron Costelloe, Adam English, Graeme Mulcahy, Shane O’Brien, Cathal O’Neill, David Reidy.
Clare have completely turned their season around after that opening-day defeat to Tipp.
They welcome Cork to Ennis knowing victory will secure their place in the Munster final.
Aidan McCarthy is named to start after missing the comfortable win over Waterford with a quad injury. He replaces Ian Galvin, who scored 1-01 last week.
Cork fought back from five points down to take a point against Tipperary and have had two weeks off to prepare for this one.
The fact that the likes of Shane Kingston and Alan Cadogan are on the bench suggests Pat Ryan has a deeper squad this year and he makes four changes to his XV.
Captain Sean O'Donoghue makes his first start of the campaign at left corner-back while Luke Meade, Conor Cahalane and Conor Lehane also come in with Ger Millerick, Eoin Downey and Shane Barrett and Robbie O’Flynn (hamstring) losing out.
Cork could also clinch a spot in the Munster decider if they were to win and Limerick lose. Victories for the Rebels and the holders would leave Clare relying on a favour from Cork or Waterford on the final weekend.
Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Adam Hogan, Conor Cleary, Rory Hayes; Diarmuid Ryan, John Conlon, David McInerney; David Fitzgerald, Cathal Malone; Peter Duggan, Tony Kelly, Aidan McCarthy; Ryan Taylor, Shane O'Donnell, Mark Rodgers.
Subs: Eamonn Foudy, Cian Nolan, Ian Galvin, Shane Meehan, Aron Shanagher, Aaron Fitzgerald, Robin Mounsey, Paul Flanagan, Cian Galvin, Jack Kirwan, Seadna Morey.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Damien Cahalane, Sean O’Donoghue; Tommy O’Connell, Ciaran Joyce, Robert Downey; Brian Roche, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Declan Dalton, Seamus Harnedy, Luke Meade; Conor Cahalane, Patrick Horgan, Conor Lehane.
Subs: Ger Collins, Ger Millerick, Eoin Downey, Tim O’Mahoney, Ethan Twomy, Padraig Power, Alan Cadogan, Shane Kingston, Sean Twomey, Shane Barrett, Brian Hayes.
Things are looking a bit more straightforward in Leinster, where Galway, Kilkenny and Dublin all have five points, though it should be noted that last year's finalists drew with each other while the Dubs' point came against Antrim.
If results go as expected this weekend, the big two will be guaranteed at least All-Ireland quarter-finals and Dublin would have to beat the Tribesmen next week to prevent a repeat of last year's decider.
The Cats host Micheál Donoghue's men today, with Paddy Deegan for Alan Murphy the only change to the side that ran up 5-31 in Corrigan Park.
U20 and league star Billy Drennan is named among the panel after recovering from a leg injury.
For Dublin, Paul Crummey and Sean Currie start instead of Alex Considine and the injured Ronan Hayes.
The form to date suggests it would be a major surprise if the visitors were to come away with anything.
"How could anybody see Dublin beating Kilkenny on the back of what we've seen?" said former Limerick star Shane Dowling on the RTÉ GAA Podcast.
"They were really poor in the league - it is what it is - but last weekend [against Wexford] they were so poor. The one thing we know against Kilkenny is that you won't get time on the ball; the doggedness, the intensity.
"It's impossible to see Dublin getting a result here."
Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Tommy Walsh; David Blanchfield, Richie Reid, Darragh Corcoran; Adrian Mullen, Paddy Deegan; Tom Phelan, John Donnelly, Billy Ryan; Martin Keoghan, TJ Reid, Eoin Cody.
Subs: Aidan Tallis, Conor Delaney, Cillian Buckley, Padraig Walsh, Conor Fogarty, Alan Murphy, Timmy Clifford, Walter Walsh, Cian Kenny, Shane Walsh, Billy Drennan.
Dublin: Seán Brennan; Paddy Doyle, Eoghan O'Donnell, Paddy Smyth; Conor Donohoe, Conor Burke, Daire Gray; Mark Grogan, Chris O'Leary; Danny Sutcliffe, Dónal Burke, Cian Boland; Seán Currie, Cian O'Sullivan, Paul Crummey.
Subs: Eddie Gibbons, John Bellew, James Madden, Andy Dunphy, Darragh Power, Aidan Mellett, Alex Considine, Fergal Whitely, Dara Purcell, Joe Flanagan, Cian O'Boyle
Wexford will therefore expect to close the gap and keep their slim hopes of claiming third alive when Westmeath come to town on Sunday evening.
The Lake County did hold Wexford to a draw in Mullingar last year but have suffered some heavy defeats this season, shipping 6-33 to Galway a fortnight ago when Conor Whelan had a hat-trick by half-time.
The prospects of a first championship win over their opponents since 1940 seem slim.
Ian Carty, Conor McDonald, and Mikie Dwyer come in for the Model men.
Wexford: James Lawlor; Shane Reck, Liam Ryan, Conor Devitt; Simon Donohoe, Matthew O'Hanlon, Ian Carty; Cathal Dunbar, Liam Óg McGovern; Jack O'Connor, Lee Chin, Oisin Foley; Rory O'Connor, Conor McDonald, Mikie Dwyer.
Subs: Cian Byrne, Ross Banville, David Clarke, Kevin Foley, Conor Hearne, Rory Higgins, Richie Lawlor, Charlie McGuckin, Niall Murphy, Joe O'Connor, Diarmuid O'Keeffe
Westmeath: Noel Conaty; Darragh Egerton, Conor Shaw, Johnny Bermingham; Tommy Doyle, Aaron Craig, Robbie Greville; Shane McGovern, Charlie McCormack; Davy Glennon, Ciaran Doyle, Eoin Keyes; Owen McCabe, Joseph Boyle, Niall O'Brien.
Subs: Conor Bracken, Niall Mitchell, Derek McNicholas, Cormac Boyle, Darragh Clinton, Gary Greville, Peter Clarke, David Williams, Shane Clavin, Kevin Regan, Jack Gillen.
Henry Shefflin gives Declan McLoughlin a first championship start for Galway against Antrim after the youngster hit 1-02 in the second half against Westmeath.
Jack Grealish, Ronan Glennon and Conor Cooney also come into the XV.
Antrim manager Darren Gleeson makes six changes to the side that lost by 17 points to Kilkenny - goalkeeper Tiernan Smyth, Stephen Rooney, Conor Boyd, Eoin O'Neill, and Domhnall Nugent are the new men.
Getting anything from the trip to Pearse Stadium is a big ask.
Galway: Eanna Murphy; Jack Grealish, Gearóid McInerney, Darren Morrissey; Padraic Mannion, Daithi Burke, Fintan Burke; Joseph Cooney, Cathal Mannion; Ronan Glennon, Evan Niland, Conor Cooney; Kevin Cooney, Conor Whelan, Declan McLoughlin.
Subs: Darach Fahy, TJ Brennan, Adrian Tuohey, Jack Fitzpatrick, Seán Linnane, Cianan Fahy, Tom Monaghan, Donal O'Shea, Martin McManus, Liam Collins, Jamie Ryan
Antrim: Tiernan Smyth; Paddy Burke, Ryan McGarry, Stephen Rooney; Gerard Walsh, Conor Boyd, Niall O Connor; Keelan Molloy, James McNaughton; Eoin O'Neill, Conal Cunning, Domhnall Nugent; Rian McMullan, Niall McKenna, Conor Johnston.
Subs: Ryan Elliott, Scott Walsh, Caolan McKernan, Enda Og McGarry, Paul Boyle, Seamie McAuley, Joe Maskey, Daniel McKernan, Michael Bradley, Eoin Trainor, Arron Bradley.
It's the final round of the Christy Ring Cup group stage and Sligo host leaders Meath, who are only ahead of them on points difference.
Third-placed Derry will be expected to hand already relegated Mayo a fifth successive defeat and pip the loser of that game to second. If that case, a draw would see Meath through rather than Sligo.
Barring a surprise Derry defeat, Tyrone's clash with London will decide who finishes fourth and fifth.
In the Nickey Rackard Cup, Wicklow and Donegal have both already qualified for the final so we can probably expect a phoney war when they meet in a Letterkenny dead rubber.
The real drama will come further down the table. Roscommon are fourth on two points but could still be relegated if they lose to Fermanagh and Louth were to surprise Armagh.
If neither Fermanagh or Louth (who claimed their only point against each other) manage a first victory then the Wee County will go down on scoring difference.
There is a three-way tie at the top of the Lory Meagher Cup leaderboard.
Monaghan host Longford with the winner guaranteed a place in the final.
Cavan are also on five points and could potentially advance even by losing to Leitrim, if Longford beat Monaghan.
Warwickshire (2 points) will be hoping to make a last-gasp leap from the bottom of the table with victory over Lancashire (4) in the English derby.
Though a Leitrim (3) draw at Cavan would doom them as the team with the worst scoring difference in another three-way tie.
