Reds boss Les Kiss has praised his side's resilience in a high-octane 56-36 Super Rugby win over Moana Pasifika despite being reduced to 14 men for 30 minutes.
The home side ran in a bumper eight converted tries to Moana's five in Brisbane on Friday evening, resisting a spirited fightback from their Ardie Savea-led opponents who were 21-0 down after 15 minutes.
But the Reds made life hard for themselves with Wallaby pair Hunter Paisami and Fraser McReight, along with Ryan Smith, yellow carded in the first half as their discipline crumbled.
Head coach Kiss was nevertheless delighted with the grit shown in defence, saying the work done on their pre-season tour of the United Kingdom had paid off.
"The cohesion we gained on the tour and the way the coaches built the game plans were two really big plusses that came out," he said after the match, their first of the season.
"We've added some extra layers to our game. We don't just play one way and we had to show that against Moana Pasifika.
"To stand strong and not crumble with that sort of pressure on our tryline was excellent as was our start to the second half."
ROLLERCOASTER SECOND HALF
The star-studded Reds, who boasted 13 Wallabies in their match-day 23, raced to an early lead with tries from Seru Uru, Filipo Daugunu and Tim Ryan.
But Moana clawed back as the Reds' discipline collapsed before a rollercoaster second half where the home side knuckled down with another five tries to the visitors' three.
"Thirty minutes, three yellow cards... crazy stuff," said Reds captain Tate McDermott.
"The way we responded and kept showing up for each other to keep defending our line was excellent. It shows a good future for this team."
All Blacks veteran Savea said the defeat, Moana's second in a row after an agonising 45-44 loss to Western Force last week, was tough to swallow.
"We've got some fight in us, we've just got to stop putting ourselves in that position, and give us better chances to win the game," he said.
"When you give up 21 points in 10 minutes, which is a testament to the Reds and how they play, it's always going to be an uphill battle."
