Munster XI 1 Sunderland 2
Stu Vose
Martyn Waghorn was Sunderland's star man after announcing his return to Wearside with a brace of goals.
The young striker is back in the fold following a season at Leicester and he ripped the Munster XI to shreds after coming on as a half-time substitute.
Waghorn pulled the Black Cats level from close range 16 minutes from time after Munster's John Tierney opened the scoring early on with a fine finish.
He then produced a second goal within 90 seconds of the first, winning the game with a superb free-kick which would have graced any Premier League game.
But Waghorn's outing turned sour right at the end as he stretched to meet a pass, went down clutching his knee and was stretchered off.
Sunderland, then, get off to a winning start, but it took a second-half turnaround to win this one after a first 45 minutes which served up typical pre-season fare as the Black Cats eased into their pre-season programme.
Munster's XI - consisting mainly of Limerick players - started strongly and came close after only two minutes when David O'Leary blazed wide of Mignolet's goal from a decent position.
The home side looked sharp and took the lead after only 12 minutes. Tierney found some room on the right wing and cut inside, switching the ball on to his favoured left foot and beating debutant Simon Mignolet with a crisp low drive.
Sunderland struggled to match the pace of a side whose players are midway through their season on the Emerald Isle.
They were almost level, though, with 24 minutes gone as the home defence failed to clear an Andy Reid cross and Nyron Nosworthy was narrowly off-target with a spectacular overhead kick from 12 yards.
But the near-miss didn't seem to bother Munster, who roared back through Stephen O'Flynn, who brought a fine save from Mignolet with a stinging shot from the edge of the box following good play down the left.
Reid shot straight at Munster keeper Kevin McCarthy late in the first half before Bruce opted to change his entire first eleven at the break.
On came the likes of Lee Cattermole, Steed Malbranque, Fraizer Campbell and Waghorn, all of whom made an impact.
The changes turned the game on its head as the Black Cats completely dominated the second half.
It was a case of when, not if, the visitors would score as they pushed forward, often profiting down the flanks through the tricky Malbranque and the free-running Jordan Henderson.
Bruce's men thought they were level 10 minutes into the second half when Campbell turned home Malbranque's cross, but the goal was chalked off thanks to a dubious offside call.
The incident was enough to underline Sunderland's superiority, though.
Munster's substitute goalkeeper Shane Cusack was in fine form to deny the away side, producing a super save to claw away Waghorn's close-range stinger.
Then Malbranque streamed forward down the left to play in Waghorn, who saw his shot deflected into the side-netting with Cusack well beaten.
Munster simply couldn't live with the Premier League outfit's free-flowing passing as Campbell went clean through only to miscontrol a long ball over the home team's defensive lines.
But the goal Sunderland deserved finally arrived 15 minutes from time.
Malbranque turned his defender inside out down the right and his cross fell perfectly for Waghorn, who swept a shot beyond a helpless Cusack.
It was a neat finish from the striker, who finished as Leicester's joint-top scorer during his loan spell in the Midlands last season.
Campbell forced a one-on-one save from Cusack almost immediately from the restart before Waghorn stamped his authority on the game once more less than two minutes after scoring his side's first goal.
A free-kick 20 yards out to the right of goal presented a perfect opportunity for the in-form striker, who beat Cusack with a wickedly curling free-kick.
It was a fitting way to win the game, although substitute goalkeeper Trevor Carson was forced into action to foil a late effort from Daryl Kavanagh.
But a productive day for Waghorn took a nasty turn when he was stretchered off in the final moments.
Bruce will be doubtless be hoping the frontman returns to fitness swiftly after he proved to be the difference in his team's pre-season opener.
On another note, the game and the turnout were a fitting tribute to Shane Geoghegan, a young Irishman who tragically died in 2008. The match was organised in his memory with proceeds going to the Shane Geoghegan Foundation.
Sunderland: Mignolet (Carson, 46), Tainio (Bardsley, 46), McCartney (Liddle, 46), Colback (Cattermole, 46)* Ferdinand (Kilgallon, 46), Nosworthy (Turner, 46), Healy (Henderson, 46), Reid (Richardson, 46), Jones (Campbell, 46), Noble (Waghorn, 46), Murphy (Malbranque, 46).
* - Cattermole subbed for Colback, 86mins.
Munster XI: McCarthy (Cusack, 46), Kelly (Boyle, 62), Judge (Sugrue, 65), White (O'Brien, 68), Purcell (Stanley, 46), Sullivan (O'Hanlon, 55), Kiely, O'Leary (Lyons, 46), O'Flynn (Clark, 50), Coughlan (Kavanagh, 46), Tierney (Treacy, 46).
Sub Not Used: Kerrins.
