IN the most anticipated fixture of the 2026 National Hurling League (regular), Limerick host fierce rivals Cork at the Gaelic Grounds this Saturday, throw-in 7pm (referee: Seán Stack, Dublin).
It’s one of several possible meetings between last year’s Munster finalists, and one which could set a modern-day attendance record for a standalone league tie, which was recently benchmarked for Cork and Tipperary at Páirc Uí Chaoimh (30,910).
For certain, Limerick and Cork will clash in round two of the provincial championship on Leeside on the last Sunday of April.
There’s also a live chance of the pair meeting further out in the championship, and quite possibly in the League final on Easter Sunday (April 5).
Cork and Limerick are currently the two top-ranked teams in Division 1A and only the leading pair at its conclusion will contest the decider.
The Shannonsiders enter on the back of a snug win over Offaly, one which confirmed relegation for the Faithful county, at O’Connor Park, Tullamore.
With the Munster Championship only just around the corner, manager John Kiely stated: “We’ve a critical phase of the season ahead of us now and we’ll all just be knuckling down to get as much as we can out of it. I think we (counties) are all very much insular in our focus at the moment and not looking at the oppositions in any great focus.”
Worryingly, two-time All-Star Darragh O’Donovan was forced off through injury after 20 minutes in the midlands.
He has suffered some unfortunate knocks (calf/finger) in recent seasons, and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The last clash between Limerick and Cork was in the 2025 Munster Final, an outing in which the Leesiders prevailed after a penalty shoot-out.
Limerick’s concluding scheduled league game is home to third-placed Galway on Saturday, March 21.