MATCH SUMMARY Sale 27 (9) Tries: Martens, Robinson Con: Hodgson Pens: Hodgson (5) Munster 13 (10) Try: Sheahan Con: O'Gara Pens: O'Gara (2)

Seventeen points from the boot of England fly-half Charlie Hodgson and tries from Sililo Martens and Jason Robinson held off their opponents.

Munster led the match 13-9 thanks to some accurate kicking by Ronan O'Gara and a try from hooker Frankie Sheahan.

But the Sharks, who top the Guinness Premiership table, proved too resilient for Munster's pack in the second half.

Despite boasting world-class backs Robinson and Mark Cueto in their side, Sale's game plan was to take the game to Munster's notoriously tough forwards.

As a result, it was Hodgson and O'Gara, two other Lions players, who dominated play in the first half.

Hodgson was undoubtedly the better kicker with ball in hand and also landed three first-half penalties to O'Gara's solitary strike.

But Munster still led at the break courtesy of Sheahan, who touched down shortly after Sale's Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe was sin-binned.

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O'Gara added three points at the start of the second half, but that score proved to be Munster's last of the night.

Despite standing firm in the wake of some sustained pressure after losing Sheahan to the sin bin, they eventually capitulated following a mistake from Tomas O'Leary.

The scrum-half fumbled the ball after it emerged from a scrum, leaving the way clear for Martens to pounce on it for the try.

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Hodgson added two points to effectively take the game away from a Munster side who never quite had the wherewithal to overturn the deficit.

And any hopes the visitors had of claiming a bonus point for finishing within seven points of the Sharks ended when Robinson chased down a massive boot upfield to touch down late on.