Rugby: Reds shine on defence to end six-year drought

Full Time Score
Reds 16
Stormers 13

BRISBANE: The Queensland Reds showed they can mix it in the hustle and bustle of Super 14 finals rugby by grinding out a tense 16-13 victory over the Stormers on Friday night.

The Reds were forced out of their attack-at-all-costs ball-retention game against the tenacious South Africans, and had to grind out a one-try-all triumph in front of a huge Suncorp Stadium crowd.

A crowd of 30,259 - the biggest Super 14 crowd in Brisbane since Wendell Sailor made his NSW debut against the Reds in 2006 - roared themselves hoarse as their team repelled wave after wave of Stormers attacking forays in the last 15 minutes.

Queensland were unlucky not to deny the visitors a bonus point, as captain Will Genia was dubiously denied a 79th-minute try by the television match official.

"It was a try, I thought I got it on to the ground" Genia said.

"It wasn't pretty, but we came home with the win."

The victory put the Reds equal on the Super 14 table with the pace-setting Bulls and Crusaders - who each have a match to play - and the Stormers.

It also ended a six-year drought against the Cape Town side.

Stormers captain Schalk Burger said the match "got away."

"It was one of those game where we couldn't really get anything going," Burger said.

The Stormers finished their Australasian road trip with two wins and two losses.

- AAP