Reds scrum-half Will Genia produced a man-of-the-match performance at the Suncorp Stadium
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Matches: Queensland Reds 19 - 12 Bulls

Players/Officials: Quade Cooper | Will Genia | George Gregan | Derick Kuun | Deon Stegmann

Tournaments/Tours: Super 14

Teams: Australia | Bulls | Queensland Reds | South Africa

The Reds climbed into the Super 14 play-off picture with a stunning 19-12 victory over the Bulls in a pulsating encounter in Brisbane.

Tries from flanker Scott Higginbotham and winger Rod Davies and nine points from the boot of fly-half Quade Cooper carried the inspired Reds to a deserved victory in front of a bumper crowd at the Suncorp Stadium having dominated possession and territory throughout the game.

A try from hooker Derick Kuun had given the Bulls an early lead and a second half score from replacement Pedrie Wannenburg aligned with a superb defensive display offered hope of a late turnaround but the Reds closed out the game to climb to fourth in the table and signal a warning to their rivals that they are worthy title contenders. The losing bonus point sees the Bulls pull level on points with the Crusaders at the top of the table but they lost pole position to their Kiwi rivals thanks to their thumping victory over the Cheetahs earlier in the day.

The Reds showed plenty of confidence early on and gave the ball plenty of air in a lung-busting opening. But the Bulls gave as good they got in return and they struck back with the first try of the game with flanker Dewald Potgieter driving deep into the Reds' 22 before Kuun celebrated his 50th Super Rugby cap with the game's first try from close range.

Steyn stepped up to add the extras before the exciting nature of the game resumed with Reds centre Digby Ioane gobbling up ground in midfield up to the 22 before a big tackle from Bulls scrum-half Fourie du Preez forced the ball from Will Chambers' grasp. The Reds continued to press, opting against a kick at the posts, but some excellent scrambling defence from the Bulls continued to frustrate the hosts with fullback Peter Hynes bundled into touch in the corner. Bulls captain Victor Matfield was penalised for pulling down a maul shortly after but Cooper pulled the kick wide of the left upright.

After weathering another barrage, the Bulls sparked a counter attack that resulted in a wayward drop goal attempt from Steyn and a nasty injury for Potgieter who was caught by the knee of team-mate Kuun at the breakdown. The home side were finally rewarded for their endeavours when a kick ahead from scrum-half Will Genia set-up a foot race for the ball between Higginbotham and Bulls centres Wynand Olivier and Stephan Dippenaar that the Reds flanker amazingly won and he scored in the process - although he had to wait for confirmation from the Television Match Official.

Cooper was again off-target with his kick but the Reds took heart from the deserved success. A clever inside ball from Chambers to winger Rod Davies then carved the Bulls open but a tap from Steyn brought the Reds' flyer down in what was a try-saving tackle. The ball-hungry Reds were soon knocking on the door again but prop Ben Daly spilled the ball under pressure as he closed in on the line.

The pressure drew another penalty from the Bulls and this time Cooper found some form with the boot to give his side a narrow advantage but a careless penalty from Davies as the half-time siren sounded allowed Steyn the opportunity to put his side back into the lead but he made a hash of his kick.

The Reds looked to pick up where they had left off at the start of the second half with another kick ahead collected by Ioane but he was soon swamped by Bulls defenders. Cooper then claimed a try having hacked a loose ball on before winning the chase to touch it down but saw it ruled out due to a knock on by Ioane earlier in the move. But Cooper did have reason to celebrate a couple of minutes later when he slotted his second penalty. An early tackle from replacement Deon Stegmann on the Reds' Daniel Braid then allowed Cooper to slot his third that gave his side a seven point lead.

The increasingly influential Genia sparked the next attack following a rare lineout error from the Bulls and he found Chambers whose superb pass released Ioane who in turn released Davies for the score. Cooper was unable to cap what was a great score with the conversion but the Reds now had a stranglehold on the game.

The Reds' pack continued to upstage their illustrious rivals at scrum time and the home side were also getting the better of things in broken play with a penalty against Du Preez gifting Cooper the chance to cement his side's lead but he pulled his effort wide. The Reds were next to be penalised, for going off their feet, and Steyn took the game up to the 22 and another infringement allowed the Bulls' No.10 kick to the corner. They were unable to capitalise on the position with a knock on robbing the South Africans of momentum but the Bulls snaffled the ball at the scrum and replacement Wannenburg showed good strength to force his way over for a try in the corner. Steyn pushed the difficult conversion wide of the posts but they were back within a converted score as the game entered the final ten minutes.

The Bulls looked to turn the screw and took the game deep into Reds territory where successive penalties from gave them the perfect platform to push for a crucial score but a knock on handed possession back to their rivals. An early engagement gave the Bulls one final chance to rescue the game but the next penalty went the way of the Reds for not releasing in the shadow of the posts and Genia took delight in ending the game with at the next lineout by thumping the ball into touch.

The result sees the Bulls end their recent tour on a losing note but they will be confident of bouncing back when they play host to the Lions in their next outing. The Reds bucked the usual trend by hitting top form on their return home following a gruelling overseas leg and their reward is a clash with the high-flying Stormers at Suncorp next weekend.