Super Rugby
Lions spoil Cooper's Reds return
ESPN Staff
March 27, 2015
Date/Time: Mar 27, 2015, 19:00 local, 09:00 GMT
Venue: Lang Park, Brisbane
Queensland Reds 17 - 18 Lions
Half-time: 3 - 8
Tries: Kerevi, Penalty
Cons: Cooper 2
Pens: Cooper
Tries: Tecklenburg, Vorster
Cons: Jantjies
Pens: Jantjies 2
The Lions' Ruan Combrinck moves into the clear, Reds v Lions, Brisbane, March 27, 2015
The Lions' Ruan Combrinck moves into the clear
© Getty Images
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The Lions have rounded out a fine Australasian tour with a third win from four matches, an 18-17 triumph over the struggling Queensland Reds in Brisbane.

The visitors affected a charge down of a Quade Cooper drop goal after the final siren to wrap up a marvellous four weeks away from home, and increase the pressure on under-fire Reds coach Richard Graham.

Reds 17-18 Lions (Australia only)

The match was as much about Cooper's return from injury as it was for the Reds needing a win, and the fly-half was keen to make his mark on the game early on. A couple of nice long balls and a jinking run helped to settle the nerves, as did a penalty which brought about the first points of the match after 11 minutes.

The Lions, who had already defeated the Blues and Rebels on one of their finest ever Australasian tours, wasted little time in responding as centre Harold Vorster showed great skill in forcing his way over in the corner. Under pressure from a couple of Reds defenders, Vorster angled his way over to the corner to get the ball down with legs airborne.

The visitors' workmanlike pack began to frustrate the Reds with skipper Warren Whiteley and his back-row counterparts Derick Minnie and Warwick Tecklenburg a constant breakdown force. The Reds were also guilty of trying to do too much, too early, as Cooper's lack of familiarity with the team saw the ball hit the deck on more than one occasion.

Cooper's mixed night continued eight minutes out from the break when he missed a simple penalty attempt; the groans from the crowd in stark contrast to the cheers moments earlier when he'd wowed them with a trademark no-look pass.

The Lions continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides and they would go into the break with an 8-3 lead after fly-half Elton Jantjies kicked a penalty after the first-half hooter.

With Karmichael Hunt serving the final week of his drug-scandal suspension, it was left to another Reds' recruit James O'Connor to deliver some attacking spark after the break. A run deep into Lions territory looked to have the home side on the front foot but again a turnover brought the promising sequence to an end.

And it was the Lions clearance that brought about the game's second try; a raking kick finding touch five metres from the Reds' line and, after the hosts failed to secure the lineout throw, Whitely snaffled the loose ball and offloaded to his back-row partner Tecklenburg for the try.

That seemingly fired the Reds into action as Cooper and Genia began to find space, and Samu Kerevi took on the defensive line. A cynical infringement saw referee Glen Jackson send Ruan Combrinck to the sin-bin and after the Reds had gone close through James Slipper, the entire forward pack took the plaudits as Jackson awarded a penalty try for a Lions' scrum infringement. Cooper added the conversion to leave the hosts trailing 15-10 12 minutes into the second half.

Quade Cooper was in the thick of the action throughout the 80 minutes © Getty Images
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The Reds fly-half was starting to exert his authority more and more, though it was actually his effort as a ball-carrier, rather than a distributor, that helped move the Reds into the lead on 67 minutes. Working from solid scrum ball, Cooper rolled into the backfield following a nice inside ball. That phase was brought to a halt just two metres short of the line but Kerevi then charged onto a pass and powered his way over to wrestle the lead with 12 minutes to play.

That lead lasted just two minutes however as replacement Ben Tapuai gave up a simple penalty right in front of the posts and Jantjies kicked the visitors back in front.

The game was set for a grandstand finish with turnovers and penalties becoming that little bit more important. And it was the Reds' final recruit of the off-season, Adam Thomson, who earned the favour of referee Jackson to give the hosts one last chance.

But it wasn't to be, Cooper's drop goal easily charged down before Kerevi coughed up the loose ball.

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