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The QR Reds wrapped up their three match tour of South Africa with a bonus point 41-26 win over the Lions in Johannesburg.

The Reds had the four try bonus point in the bag after only 17 minutes as they raced away to a 24-0 lead.

The Lions clawed their way back into the game with three unanswered tries to close the gap to 19-27 at the 60 minute mark.

The Reds had lost hooker Saia Faingaa to a yellow card at 58 minutes but managed to limit the damage to one try while he was off the field before adding two more of their own to seal the match.

Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper, playing opposite his boyhood idol Carlos Spencer, was named man of the match after turning in another influential performance, scoring the Reds' second try and adding another 11 points off the boot.

Wing Rod Davies grabbed the opening try in the first minute after dotting down in the corner from a Cooper chip kick and then added a second 16 minutes later as the Reds looked like racking up a huge score.

But the Lions stuck to their task and managed to starve the Reds of possession for a long period in the middle of the match and could have posed a threat with their adventurous attack had not their poor defence and poor finishing not let them down.

For the Reds, flanker Daniel Braid and prop Ben Daley got through a mountain of work in defence which was again a feature of the Reds' game.

Hooker Faingaa, fullback Peter Hynes and replacement forward Ezra Taylor were the Reds' other try scorers.

The Reds took 11 competition points out of their South African trip, with a win over the Cheetahs and a two bonus point loss to the Sharks before today's bonus point win.

Reds' captain Will Genia said the team was happy with what was their most successful South African campaign in recent years.

"It's always tough playing in South Africa and as I've said the whole trip they (opponents) always grow a third leg when they're playing at home," Genia said.

"So to come away with two (wins) out of three is definitely a great trip for us so we're very excited."

Reds Head Coach Ewen McKenzie said his prediction that the Lions would pose a "complicated" challenge was borne out, as while the home side conceded the four quick tries that set up the Reds' win, once the Lions got into the game they proved tough competitors.

"We nailed a few tries early but then they (Lions) got into the groove as we knew they would as they started getting possession and we did a lot of tackling.

"But we were able to hang in there and score a couple more tries - one where we were one man down - so on the whole it was a good effort. And to come out of South Africa with 11 points, you'd take that every time."

McKenzie was pleased by the team's defensive effort; the forwards who stood up to the battering when the Lions kept the ball tight and the the scrambling defence across the whole line when the Lions mixed it up with some adventurous play out wide.  

"Obviously up front was hard work and our maul defence was much better today. Braidy was non-stop and Saia Faingaa also (in defence). I thought 'Rocket' (Rod Davies) had his best game for Queensland - he was in everything. (Centre) Anthony Faingaa, again rock solid, and then you had the playmakers.. but I don't want to limit it. There were good contributions all round.

"It was really physically difficult here, it was a really hard slog. They (Lions) played with great width and multiple phases and we defended the line well and had to scramble a few times, so it was a good, gutsy effort. Not our best - hopefully that's still to come - but still pretty good in the circumstances."

McKenzie said there were no injuries to speak of: "just the usual bumps and bruises but nothing that will prevent anyone playing next week".

The fifth-placed Reds' next challenge will be the front-running Bulls at Suncorp Stadium only six days after they land back in Australia on Monday night, which will be a test of their semi-final claims.

However Genia said it was too early for the Reds to start thinking about a top four finish.

"We're not talking about semi-finals just as yet, we're a young side so we're just looking forward to the challenges of fronting week in, week out," he said.

"It's a massive challenge for us going home to play the Bulls so that's what we're looking forward to this weekend."

The Reds' six tries earned another seven goats for their Goat Count for Africa campaign - one farm goat donated to an African village for each try, plus a fourth try "bonus goat".
 
QR Reds 41 (Rod Davies 2, Quade Cooper, Saia Faingaa, Peter Hynes, Ezra Taylor tries Cooper 4 cons, pen) bt Lions 26 (Michael Killian 2, Herkie Kruger, Franco van der Merwe tries Kruger 3 cons) at Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Referee: Mark Lawrence (RSA).