Munster force Saint-André to admit the error of his calls

Sale 16-24 Munster
Munster's Lifeimi Mafi, left, evades the tackle of Sale's Richard Wigglesworth
Munster's Lifeimi Mafi, left, evades the tackle of Sale's Richard Wigglesworth. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images

The unfamiliar white shirts with red trim were reminiscent of a more northerly Irish province but lurking within were the same old Munster. There is no such thing as a routine away win in Europe and yesterday was another shuddering example of why the champions can never be underestimated. Sale hit rare heights in France last week; they have now rejoined the flat earth society, courtesy of opponents who are relentlessly strong under pressure.

This result throws Pool One wide open, Sale's win against Clermont Auvergne having depreciated in value. The memory of what Philippe Saint-André hailed as one of the Sharks' greatest days has suddenly been replaced by a gnawing fear. Sale must go to Thomond Park in the new year for what Saint-André suspects will be a sudden-death eliminator.

"Today Munster showed us how to win a game," he said. "They were clever, crafty and very effective... they did to us what we did to Clermont."

There was also no avoiding a sense of what could have been. For the second game in a row Saint-André kept Charlie Hodgson on the bench and again the England fly-half made a conspicuous difference to Sale's attack when he came on. "Of course, yes," said Saint-André when asked if he regretted leaving Hodgson on the bench during a first quarter in which the home side tried - and failed - to run their way out of their own half and failed to capitalise on a plentiful supply of ball. "I make the decisions. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong. When you are trailing 13-3 with the wind behind you it's difficult to come back."

In Saint-André's defence, the temptation to stick with the half-back combination of Dwayne Peel and Richard Wigglesworth which worked so well against Clermont must have been strong. Munster's head coach, Tony McGahan, however, was not alone in noting the difference when Hodgson started steering the ball into the corners and operating flat to the gain line. It was the fly-half's deft ball to Rory Lamont which helped set up a break by the young replacement hooker, Marc Jones, which led to a try by Dean Schofield in the 61st minute. That made it 16-16 and it was virtually the only occasion on which Munster were made to look vulnerable.

Sale's chances evaporated at their moment of greatest opportunity. Not long into the final quarter Ronan O'Gara, otherwise reliably excellent with the boot, clipped the top of the upright with a penalty attempt and, despite numerous Munster pleas, the French referee, Christophe Berdos, declined to seek television confirmation of whether it had toppled over or not.

Many teams would have taken this as a signal that the fates were against them; Munster simply rolled up their sleeves, waited for another chance and worked the tireless David Wallace into the right corner with eight minutes left. A long injury-time drop-goal from O'Gara and an inspired bout of defending subsequently denied Sale a losing bonus point and deepened Saint-André's depression: "They were more clinical than us. Every time we lost the ball in contact they punished us."

Among those primarily responsible was the flanker Alan Quinlan, who suffered a serious knee injury on his previous visit to Stockport and played like a man keen to make amends ahead of the announcement of Ireland's autumn squad on Wednesday. A late yellow card for a high tackle on Mathew Tait failed to dilute the indelible impression left by the rock-hard inside-centre, Lifeimi Mafi, whose hit on Sébastian Chabal late in the first half was a classic example of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. A surging break and offload by Luke McAlister - already a short-odds favourite to win the Premiership's player of the year award - earlier in the same passage of play was almost as compelling. It scarcely seems credible the Heineken Cup can be increasing in intensity yet again but it would appear to be true.

Munster are showing remarkably few ill-effects following the departure of Declan Kidney to the Ireland coaching job. McGahan's selections were vindicated here, in stark contrast to those made by Saint-André. On a tight pitch the decision was made to deploy the Australian Paul Warwick, normally a fly-half, at full-back and his kicking and positional sense were complemented by the only try of the first half, created by a nicely delayed pass from O'Gara and Quinlan's unselfish support.

Sale are trying to encourage a new supporters chant - "La la laaa la-la-la la, la-la la la, Saale" - sung to the tune of Hey Jude. A Hard Day's Night might have been more appropriate yesterday.

Sale: Lamont; Cueto, McAlister, Keil, Doherty; Wigglesworth, Peel (Hodgson, 46); Faure, Briggs (M Jones, 46), Roberts (Turner, 70), Chabal (White, 58), Cockbain (Schofield, 52), C Jones (Tait, 74), Abraham, Fernandez Lobbe.

Con: McAlister.
Pens: McAlister 3.

Munster: Warwick; Howlett, Earls, Mafi, Dowling; O'Gara, O'Leary; Horan, Flannery, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Quinlan (Ryan, 68), O'Sullivan (Melck, 54; Murphy, 80), Wallace.

Tries: Warwick, Wallace.
Con: O'Gara.
Pens: O'Gara 2.
Drop-goals:Warwick, O'Gara.
Sin-bin: Mafi, 79.

Referee: C Berdos (France).