Reds run Bulls ragged

Cooper: fine performance.

The Reds claimed their ninth straight home win with a 39-30 success over the defending champions Bulls in Brisbane.

The hosts ran in six tries to their opposition's three with a dazzling backline showing to keep them on top of the Super Rugby table and set up a mouth-watering clash with Waratahs - the only side to have beaten them this season - next weekend.

The Bulls worked hard coming off their disappointing 27-point loss against the Crusaders but could not compete with the Reds' flair, and only stayed in touch due to the superb long-range kicking of Morne Steyn.

The Bulls opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a pinpoint-accurate 50-metre penalty conversion by Steyn, but the lead was short-lived as Quade Cooper conjured up a brilliant solo try, selling a dummy to Victor Matfield and going over the line untouched.

Will Genia was controversially penalised for playing on after being tackled with a quarter of an hour remaining in the first half, and sharp-shooter Steyn nailed the 40m shot, reducing the margin to one.

Cooper pushed the hosts' lead out to four points with the first half winding down, catching the South Africans off-guard with a clever decision to snap a drop-goal from 30m out and right in front.

But the first half still had plenty of action left in it. Radike Samo crossed after more good work from Cooper took the Reds deep into opposition territory, and then the Bulls wasted no time cancelling out the seven-pointer, with Bjorn Basson flying through to collect their restart and continuing all the way.

Hesitant

The Reds quickly had their third try of the match after the interval, with pacy full-back Luke Morahan taking the second pass from the scrum base and sliding between a pair of hesitant Bulls defenders.

The Bulls moved to within six points with half an hour to play on the back of another 50m effort from Steyn.

But the Reds would not be denied, and after returning back Ben Lucas caught opposition full-back Zane Kirchner in-goal, Morahan scored the home side's bonus-point fourth try from a perfectly executed scrum-base set-play.

If the Bulls had not had their spirit broken by Morahan's second, they surely had when a turnover allowed Digby Ioane to toe the ball downfield, win the race, and dive over the tryline.

Interchange Bulls forward Danie Rossouw barged over with 10 minutes to play, and then the Reds hit back with skipper James Horwill diving over for a well-deserved five-pointer.

Basson capped off a decent Bulls performance despite the result, scoring his second try with less than two minutes remaining.