Sport24.co.za | Kings crash to defeat in Brisbane
Cape Town – The Reds have beaten the Kings in their Vodacom Super Rugby clash at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Reds won by 47-34 after leading 14-10 at half-time.
Reds’ winger Eto Nabuli got the home side off to a stellar start scoring in the 5th minute with a try converted by flyhalf Quade Cooper.
Chris Cloete got the Kings in the mix with a try, while skipper Lionel Cronje added a conversion and a penalty.
Karmichael Hunt added a second try for the home side in the 28th minute. Cooper added the conversion and the teams went into half-time with the Reds leading 14-10.
Things were looking up for the Kings at the break but the cracks soon showed in their defence, as the Reds scored five tries in the second half.
Flanker George Smith scored a 43rd minute try in his 150th Super Rugby appearance, while Nabuli, Hunt and Izaia Perese each scored a brace for the Reds.
Cooper then became the first Queenslander to hit 800th Super Rugby points, as he kicked six conversion in the match.
The Kings came back strongly towards the end of the second half and replied with four tries by scrumhalf Louis Schreuder, fullback Masixole Banda and a brace by wing Makazole Mapimpi. Cronje and Pieter-Steyn de Wet kicked a conversion each.
The Reds are still in the chase as they picked up four points for their victory and are third in the Australian conference, while the Kings remain at the bottom of the Africa Conference 2 standings.
In next weekend’s Round 9 action, the Kings travel to Sydney where they’ll face the Waratahs (Friday, April 21 at 11:45 SA time), while the Reds have a bye.
Teams:
Reds
15 Karmichael Hunt, 14 Izaia Perese, 13 Samu Kerevi (captain), 12 Duncan Paia’aua, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 James Tuttle, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 George Smith, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Lukhan Tui, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 Sef Fa’agase.
Substitutes: 16 Andrew Ready, 17 Kirwan Sanday, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Adam Korczyk, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Chris Kuridrani
Kings
15 Masixole Banda, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Lionel Cronje (captain), 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 4 Mzwanele Zito, 3 Justin Forwood, 2 Michael Willemse, 1 Chris Heiberg
Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Schalk van der Merwe, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Irne Herbst, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Johan Steyn, 22 Wandile Mjekevu, 23 Pieter-Steyn de Wet