By the skin of their teeth Tipperary catch the train to the next stage of the championship 

By the skin of their teeth the blue and gold crew caught the train to the next stage of the championship. It took a late Limerick push in added time to seal the deal which sent Tipperary in as third placed qualifier from Munster for the next phase of the championship.

Just about made it, because if Cork had hit one more point against Limerick - securing a draw - Pat Ryan's team would have qualified and Tipperary would have been out of the championship.

As it was Liam Cahill's team meekly bowed to Waterford pressure yesterday in Thurles. A sharp opening ten minutes from the Deise set the tone for the day as Tipperary never really got to the pitch of the match as set by Davy Fitzgerald's charges who were first to every ball.

A flat performance from the home team meant that the possibility of championship elimination loomed as Waterford struck point after point and late on phones quickly flicked to the action in Limerick to see if Tipperary were still in the championship.

As it stands now, Liam Cahill's team get a chance to regroup and gather their thoughts to have a tilt at getting to a quarter final. Jake Morris, Cathal Barrett and Jason Forde will hope they are recovered from injury and can play some part by then.

This year's Joe MacDonagh finalists, Offaly, are Tipp's next opponents, this time in the All-Ireland series. The game is in Tullamore in three weeks time with a quarter final spot for the winner. There is adequate time to get calm and reset for big battles ahead for Liam Cahill's team.

Offaly will see the game as a chance to redeem some pride from a season that is disappointing for Johnny Kelly's team, as they lost out to Carlow on Saturday in their cup final. Johnny previously managed Borris Ileigh to a Munster club title and he will relish the chance to take on Dan McCormack and this Tipperary team.

For Liam Cahill, just being in the championship today will whet the appetite for more work. Tipp just made the train to the next stop and while it isn't the Munster final port of call, at least it is still moving slowly in the right direction.