If there was a thought that Munster may not be the force of old this season it was ruthlessly and swiftly dispelled yesterday. When it mattered, the province showed why they are champions of Europe with a performance that demonstrated their trademark characteristics as well as some newly discovered fluency, when they secured a precious away win against Sale Sharks.

The result puts them in a commanding position in pool one when defeat could have spelt gloom and doom. After last week’s sluggish start to the defence of the Heineken Cup against Montauban, Munster knew what had to be done.

Not for the first time in their proud history, and with their backs to the wall, they raised their game and showed their true pedigree. When it mattered they were clever, crafty and above all clinical — and showed how to close a game.

Some of the blame for Sale’s defeat lay at their door, however. First, Philippe Saint Andre’s team selection beggared belief, with the continued omission of Charlie Hodgson from the starting XV and a lop-sided midfield with Luke McAlister on the periphery at outside centre. Saint Andre, who stayed loyal to last week’s side that won away to Clermont Auvergne, admitted that he perhaps should have started with the England fly half who, when he did appear, turned the match around. “You make decisions, sometimes they are correct sometimes they are not,” Saint Andre said.

From a position of 16-6 down and seemingly without hope with the wind against them, Hodgson, a 46th-minute replacement, inspired Sale to draw level. He soon had them playing on the front foot, kicking the ball behind Munster’s defence, and the difference was immediate.

However, it was in the first half when Munster threatened to run amok that Hodgson was particularly missed. At a time when the visiting team were in the ascendancy, Sale had to play for territory and position, but with Richard Wigglesworth at fly half and not in his customary scrum half role, they tried to muscle instead of kicking their way out of danger. The result? Far too much of that period was played within 30 metres of Sale’s line.

Balls from the breakdowns were painfully slow and Dwayne Peel, still feeling his way after injury, had an unhappy afternoon at scrum half before being replaced. Sale were too loose as passes were dropped and turnovers conceded. Their naivety was evident when, having done the hard work and with momentum in their favour at 16-16, Sale lacked the necessary composure to go on and secure a vital victory even when Munster were down to 14 men in the 71st minute when Lifeimi Mafi was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Mathew Tait.

David Wallace, who scored the decisive try, said Munster’s only thought had been to win. “We had to come out fighting and get the win,” he said. “That was our single-minded mentality.” Saint Andre was sanguine. “They did to us what we did to Clermont Auvergne last week. Munster are more mature,” he said.

Munster started as if they meant business. With the forwards flying into contact they bustled Sale all over the pitch and recycled the ball at speed, enabling Keith Earls and Mafi, the centres, to cause problems. With McAlister and Ronan O’Gara having traded penalties, Munster were handed an attacking position.

Sale were penalised for a crooked feed at a scrum. O’Gara popped a short pass for Alan Quinlan that gave Paul Warwick enough space to force his way over the try-line. The full back then dropped a long-range goal to give the champions a ten-point advantage, which McAlister reduced in the 24th minute with his second successful kick.

It was obvious that Saint Andre had to be decisive and it was no surprise when Hodgson appeared. He, however, was not the only catalyst for change. The introduction of Marc Jones, the replacement hooker, because of a knee injury to Neil Briggs made a real difference. Jones was a force in the loose. His charging run and smart offload put Dean Schofield in under the posts and McAlister’s conversion, to add to his second penalty, left the outcome in the balance.

However it was then that Munster showed their mettle. Keeping the ball tight, they played through the forwards and created pressure on the Sale line that Wallace, with Mafi’s assitance, eventually breached in the corner. O’Gara, who had kicked his second penalty and who had another goal chalked off when it clearly bisected the uprights, dropped a goal from 40 metres to put matters out of reach.

Scorers: Sale Sharks: Try: Schofield (58min). Conversion: McAlister. Penalty goals: McAlister 3 (10, 24, 54). Munster: Tries: Warwick (15), Wallace (65). Conversion: O’Gara. Penalty goals: O’Gara 2 (3, 42). Dropped goals: Warwick (19), O’Gara (75).

Scoring sequence (Sale first): 3-0, 3-3, 3-10, 3-13, 6-13, (half-time), 6-16, 9-16, 16-16, 16-21, 16-24.

Sale Sharks: R Lamont; M Cueto, L McAlister, R Keil, D Doherty; R Wigglesworth, D Peel (rep: C Hodgson 46min); L Faure, N Briggs (rep: M Jones, 46), E Roberts (rep: S Turner, 63), S Chabal (rep: J White, 55), B Cockbain (rep: D Schofield, 49), C Jones (rep: M Tait, 63), L Abrahams, J M Fernández Lobbe.

Munster: P Warwick; D Howlett, K Earls, L Mafi (sin-bin, 71), I Dowling; R O’Gara, T O’Leary; M Horan, J Flannery, J Hayes, D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell, A Quinlan (rep: D Ryan, 62), J O’Sullivan (rep: J Melck, 51; rep: B Murphy, 74), D Wallace.

Referee: C Berdos (France).

Attendance: 10,928.