Reds 47-34 Kings: Quade Cooper makes his mark on return to action
Last Updated: 15/04/17 6:31pm
Queensland Reds ended a run of six defeats with a free-scoring 47-34 win over the Southern Kings in Brisbane.
The Reds scored seven tries to five with Quade Cooper returning from suspension to kick six conversions.
Former Wallaby flanker George Smith celebrated his 150th Super Rugby appearance with a try while Eto Nabuli, Karmichael Hunt and Izaia Perese all scored twice for the Reds.
Makazole Mapimpi (two), Chris Cloete, Louis Schreuder and Masixole Bande crossed for the Kings.
Reds coach Nick Styles said: "We're just stoked with the win. It's been a difficult start to the season, so to run out at our home ground and earn a win for ourselves and our fans is really rewarding."
"It was great to see Quade and Karmichael come back into the side and have an impact, but I was also pleased with the performances of some of our younger generation, they handled the pressure of starting well."
The Reds led 14-10 at half-time and opened a 47-17 lead with under 20 minutes remaining before the Port Elizabeth-based Kings finished with 17 unanswered points.
It was only Queensland's second win of a lacklustre season, while the Kings are languishing at the bottom of South Africa 2 conference with just one win from eight outings.
The Kings, who along with the Cheetahs are earmarked to be dropped by the South African union for next year's Super Rugby competition, continue their Australasian tour against the Waratahs in Sydney on 21 April.