The most eagerly-awaited championship meeting of the season to date brings the League and All-Ireland champions into collision at Semple Stadium, Thurles, in tomorrow's Guinness Munster hurling semi-final.

Two previous matches between the counties give food for thought when considering this one. Last year's meeting in Limerick at the same stage of the championship saw Cork give Clare a tough examination. Cork, with six changes, are considerably changed since then and changed for the better.

At the beginning of last month Cork beat Clare by an 11-point margin in the National League semi-final which prompted a rush of muttering about stewards' enquiries, although Clare continue to insist that they simply had a bad day.

The truth is that we haven't seen Clare in full battle array since last September. With as settled a team as could be imagined, the League didn't hold out particular fascination for Ger Loughnane and his management.

This weekend's team shows two changes from the All-Ireland winning line-up. Neither is especially surprising. Fergie Tuohy, who lost valuable league time to suspension, loses out to David Forde who was a regular entrant to proceedings from the bench.

Sparrow O'Loughlin's demotion is a fairly seasonal one. Trainer Mike McNamara points out that Sparrow starts nearly every championship on the bench because of his relaxed migratory habits in early spring.

The selection of his replacement, Eamonn Taaffe, has caused a few raised eyebrows, but he is a player whose trouble with injury shouldn't be confused with difficulty making the team. When fit and ready, as he was two years ago against Limerick, Taaffe can make a sizeable contribution.

The only thing that's clear about the league semi-final at the moment is that it will have acquired definitive meaning by tomorrow evening. If Clare win, it will be further evidence of the League's tenuous relevance to reality. If Cork win, it will be seen as the first crack in a great Clare team.

Cork are the form team. They've come together well in recent months and will pose a serious threat. Seanie McGrath took Clare for five points last year and is still in good form. Around him the attack is bigger and better.

Yet Clare are always superbly turned out for the championship. Their one defeat since 1994 was two years ago in a match they otherwise dominated.

If Clare deliver on their championship norms, the pace and physical intensity will be a little higher than even a rapidly-improving Cork can expect to live with just yet. The champions merit that vote of confidence.

It is still unclear whether Clare manager Ger Loughnane will be allowed onto the sideline at Semple Stadium in Thurles tomorrow. Loughnane's sideline ban was to have been lifted if a letter giving undertakings about his future behaviour was lodged with Croke Park. Early yesterday, Clare county chairman Robert Front informed the Muster Council that the letter had been sent in but as of last night Fr Seamus Gardiner, PRO of the Munster Council, informed The Irish Times that the Council had received no word form Croke Park as to whether the letter had been received or if the undertakings were acceptable.

Clare: D Fitzgerald; M O'Halloran, B Lohan, F Lohan; L Doyle, S McMahon, A Daly (capt); O Baker, C Lynch; J O'Connor, PJ O'Connell, D Forde; N Gilligan, C Clancy, E Taaffe. Cork: G Cunningham; F Ryan, J Browne, D O'Sullivan (capt); M Landers, B Corcoran, S O hAilp in; P Ryan, M Daly; S McGrath, F McCormack, K Morrisson; S O'Farrell, A Browne, J Deane.