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The Queensland Reds have come away with their first win under new head coach Brad Thorn, beating the Brumbies 18-10 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday night.
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The embattled Reds responded well after dealing with suspensions to captain Scott Higginbotham and lock Lukhan Tui throughout the week.
The Reds started the game dominating territory and possession but could not find a way to crack the Brumbies defence. They opted to take penalties, stretching their lead to 6-0 before the Brumbies hit back with a try to halfback Joe Powell.
The hosts had a number of opportunities to score but could not find the finishing touch inviting the Brumbies back into the game.
The Brumbies could not find a way to capitalise on excellent field position at the end of the first half and the Reds went to sheds ahead 6-5.
The second stanza opened with more possession from the Brumbies, but the valiant Reds would not break, at one point resisting for 17 phases before bundling Henry Speight over the sideline.
As the match wore on the Reds scrum began to dominate, winning a number of crucial penalties to keep the Brumbies at bay.
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The Reds kept the scoreboard ticking, stretching out to a 15-5 lead before the Brumbies scored in the 75th minute with Number 8 Isi Naisarani barging over from the back of the scrum. The conversion was missed but at 15-10 the Brumbies were back within striking distance.
The Brumbies couldn’t secure the kickoff and the Reds never gave the ball back, icing the game with a sixth penalty goal following a break by Chris Feauai-Sautia that took them inside the five.
The tryless victory will be savoured by Brad Thorn, his first as a head coach and leave the Brumbies with more questions than answers after a less than impressive first-round victory over the Sunwolves.
