Sale demonstrated their new-found ability to win ugly once again as they kicked off their Heineken Cup pool one campaign with a tremendous victory over Munster at a sodden Edgeley Park.

The organisers could hardly have asked for a more compelling advert for Europe's elite competition - and it was the Sharks, the less experienced of the two sides, who eventually came out on top in a barnstorming forward-orientated battle.

Just as against Wasps last week the hosts' pack, led by the totemic Andrew Sheridan, saw the Guinness Premiership leaders home - although second-half tries by Sililo Martens and Jason Robinson sealed the win.

Celtic League leaders Munster mounted a stirring fightback after falling behind early on, with Ronan O'Gara kicking eight points and Frank Sheahan scoring a try.

But he was overshadowed by Sale fly-half Charlie Hodgson, who knocked over 17 points in front of a record home crowd of 10,704.

With Castres and Newport-Gwent Dragons making a terrifying-looking group, the pressure is already on Munster to qualify for the knock-out stages for the eighth season in succession.

Sale made four changes to the side which squeezed the life out of Wasps in the Guinness Premiership a week ago, with Stuart Turner, Andy Titterrell and Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe drafted into the pack and Daniel Larrechea making way for Steve Hanley in the backs.

Munster, two-time Heineken Cup finalists, elected to leave fit-again Ireland scrum-half Peter Stringer on the bench and handed his number nine rival Tomas O'Leary a competition debut.

Hodgson, in front of the watching England head coach Andy Robinson, picked up where he left off against Wasps by planting over a third-minute penalty to put Sale ahead.

The England fly-half missed three minutes later and although O'Gara kicked an early drop-goal wide of the mark, he made amends with a superbly struck penalty in the 12th minute to level the scores.

Hodgson's strategic, pin-point kicks were instrumental in turning Munster round and from one they gave away a penalty and the Sale man duly converted his second three-pointer.

Indeed Sale's kicking game stymied Munster's trademark free-flowing attacking moves and only a sustained bludgeoning forward assault five minutes from half-time brought them the first try.

Lobbe was given 10 minutes in the sin bin for bringing down a Munster maul and from the resulting penalty the visitors regrouped and another relentless push from the pack yielded a score for Sheahan in the left corner. O'Gara, the leading points scorer in the tournament's history, converted.

Hodgson's injury-time penalty kept Sale in the hunt going into the break but O'Gara restored the four-point cushion eight minutes into the second half.

Sheahan went from hero to villain by becoming the second player to be sin-binned for impeding a maul and Hodgson had the simple task of kicking his fourth penalty of the night to make it 13-12.

However, it was Sale who finished the stronger and earned their first try with 20 minutes left.

From a Munster scrum on their own five-yard line, the ball squirted out behind number eight Anthony Foley into the in-goal area.

O'Leary tried to ground but missed the ball and the scavenging Tongan Martens gleefully accepted the invitation to dive in and secure five points, although referee Joel Jutge needed the help of the video officials to make certain of the score. Hodgson converted.

And Robinson capped a superb all-round performance by grabbing the important second try with three minutes left.

Sebastien Chabal floored substitute Federico Pucciarello and the ball spilled into Hodgson's path. He cleverly kicked on and Robinson outpaced some tired defenders from 70 yards to stab forward and ground.

Hodgson missed the conversion but managed to add a fifth penalty in stoppage time.