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Queensland overcame a Quade Cooper brain fade to notch their first hat-trick of Super 14 wins in four years and ended a lengthy drought in South Africa with a historic 31-10 victory over the Lions in Bloemfontein.
Sparked by skipper and halfback Will Genia, who was named man-of-the match, Queensland scored the last 23 points of the game after trailing late in the first half.
It was Queensland’s first win in South Africa for four years, their fourth win of the campaign and the first time since 2006 they have recorded more than three Super victories in a season.
Queensland scored three tries to one and prevailed despite losing Cooper to the sin bin in the first half.
The Wallabies back was banished by referee Vinny Munro for tripping a Cheetahs player who attempted to take a quick restart from the home team’s 22.
A 13-point burst in seven minutes either side of the break proved the decisive scoring burst.
Queensland then produced some stoic defence as the Cheetahs created a number of opportunities in the final half hour.
The Reds iced the win with a Cooper penalty and the five-eighth also converted after centre Digby Ioane crashed over from a quick tap with two minutes to go.
Their first Super win in Bloemfontein kept Queensland within touching distance of the top four and Genia said it was a fantastic way to start their three-week tour of South Africa.
“I think we were under the pump a little, they are a very good side and they kept it tight and they sort of had us on the back heel a bit,” Genia said after the match.
“But once we got that (first) try we knew we could do it.
“We wanted to stay tight and really suck them in and then created those opportunities out wide.
“I guess when they came we did make most of them.”
Down 3-0, Queensland scored the first try of the game in the 12th minute, when Genia dummied his way over after some impressive multi-phase play.
With Cooper in the bin, Genia booted the Reds to an 8-3 lead with a penalty on the half hour after he was hit by a high tackle from Lions’ No.8 Ashley Johnson.
The Lions hit the front after Johnson peeled off the back of a scrum and strolled through a huge gap which Cooper conceivably might have plugged.
Cooper partially atoned by kicking a penalty from near halfway just before the break, which gave the visitors a 11-10 halftime lead.
He raised the flags with another penalty three minutes into the second half and added a conversion three minutes later, when fullback Peter Hynes dummied his way over from a quick tap close to the Lions line.
The Reds were then forced into defensive mode, holding up players over the line on at least three occasions, as the Lions eschewed kicks for goal in search of tries.
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