Reds eye Brumbies 'decider'
Reds and Wallaby playmaker Quade Cooper has made a successful return from injury as the Reds collect maximum points in their 34-20 Super Rugby victory over the Lions in Brisbane on Saturday.
The win keeps the Reds promising finals hopes alive and sets the scene for a blockbuster clash with current Australian Conference leaders, the Brumbies, next Saturday in Canberra.
The Reds will take plenty of momentum into the encounter after they continued their climb up the competition ladder courtesy of a four-try bonus point in their four-tries-to-two win, the second straight week the Reds have collected maximum points after beating the Chiefs 42-27 last week.
Leading 13-6 at half-time after in-form teenage flank Liam Gill crossed for the first try of the match, the Reds broke free after the break with tries to hooker Saia Faingaa, debutant wing Chris F'Sautia and a trademark long range effort from star scrumhalf Will Genia securing the all-important bonus point.
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said his team was looking forward to the clash in Canberra as they aim to narrow the Brumbies eight point lead at the top of the Australian Conference.
"It's going to be pretty rugged next week but we'll go down there with some confidence," McKenzie said
"We won there last year. The main thing is we didn't get any real injuries tonight and we'll go down there as fresh as we can be. We're looking forward to it."
Vice-captain Will Genia reaffirmed his status as the premier scrumhalf in the world with a stellar effort in a man-of-the-match performance, while playmaking partner Quade Cooper made a positive return from injury after a seven month lay-off, playing the entirety of the first half.
Defending at fullback, Cooper showed flashes of his attacking best and made a couple of midfield breaks in front of 31,118 fans at Suncorp Stadium who gave the playmaker fitting support during his long awaited return.
"It's more satisfaction from the hard work I've put in over the past seven months," Cooper said when asked about his injury-free return.
"It has been tough at times but it was great to be out there with a great bunch of blokes and being part of the team again. Running out in front of a big home crowd was a lot of fun.
"I didn't have too many expectations. It was about getting through a whole week of training and ticking every box as it came – and then running out onto the field and executing the gameplan. I think we did that as a team for the majority of the game and that's why we came away with the win."
Despite the scoreline the Lions proved a tricky opponent for the Reds with their ball in hand brand of rugby allowing them to stage a mini comeback by scoring two tries through their reserves Martin Bezuidenhout and Jaco Kriel after coach Ewen McKenzie gave his bench a run with 20 minutes remaining.
It certainly wasn't all one-way traffic for the Reds, with the Lions in the first 15 minutes of the contest enjoying a significant territorial advantage.
However, they only managed to record two penalty goals before Cooper ignited the crowd with his first linebreak of the game, a few phases later Liam Gill powered off for his second try in Super Rugby.
"We got the five points we were looking for and in parts of the game we were very good," captain James Horwill said.
"They had a lot of ball and our defence was pretty rock solid. The Lions hold onto the ball for long periods of time. We did our homework there and tried to work off that. There is plenty to be happy with."
Three tries in 12 minutes, two of them while Franco van der Merwe as yellow-carded for cynical play, made it game, set and match by the 55th minute of the game.
By that time reds led 34-6.
However, the Lions fought back magnificently to creep closer to 34-20 with two well worked tries.
Lions captain Josh Strauss summed it up afterwards: "We showed great character and pride, but we must do it for 80 minutes."
