1972 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
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| Event | 1972 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 3 September 1972 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | Mick Spain (Offaly) | ||||||
| Attendance | 66,137 | ||||||
| Weather | Dry and Sunny | ||||||
The 1972 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 85th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1972 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by 1970 winners Cork and 1971 runners-up Kilkenny, and it was refereed by Mick Spain from Offaly.
The All-Ireland final was the twelfth meeting of Cork and Kilkenny in a championship decider. Kilkenny held the balance of power in all previous meetings between the two, having recorded seven All-Ireland victories to Cork's five. Cork, however, also defeated Kilkenny in the 1903 All-Ireland 'home' final before putting London to the sword in the 'proper' final. Both sides last met in the All-Ireland final of 1969 when Kilkenny recorded their first championship victory over Cork since 1947. Kilkenny enjoyed a very successful decade in the sixties, claiming championship titles in 1963, 1967 and 1969. Cork's sole All-Ireland title of the decade came in 1966, a full twelve years after their previous All-Ireland triumph. Moreover, Cork had lost the All-Ireland final of 1969 to Kilkenny. The thought of losing a second championship decider in succession to one of their biggest rivals proved a great motivation.
In 1970 Cork triumphed over Wexford in the All-Ireland final to claim their 21st title and draw level with Tipperary at the top of hurling's roll of honour. The following year Tipperary defeated Kilkenny to reclaim the top spot with their 22nd championship. A victory for Cork would put them level with Tipp once again, while a victory for Kilkenny would give them their 18th All-Ireland title and would narrow the gap between them and the other two big teams in hurling's trinity.
Offaly-based referee Mick Spain was named as the referee for the 1972 All-Ireland final on 25 August 1972. It was his first time refereeing an All-Ireland final; however, he was a regular 'man in the middle' for National Hurling League and Leinster championship games over the previous two years.
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