The Queensland Reds furthered their reputation as big-match kings to reclaim the Super Rugby competition lead with a pulsating 37-31 triumph over the Blues on Friday night.

In a classic encounter befitting its top-of-the-table standing, both sides produced brilliant attacking displays in front of a highly-appreciative crowd of 30,041 which cheered the Reds to their 11th straight win at Suncorp Stadium.

In the end it was an unlikely charge down try by replacement hooker James Hanson which saw them end the Blues nine-match unbeaten streak in the topsy-turvy clash.

From 24-0 up in the 35th minute, the Reds then conceded 24 points of their own in 20 minutes either side of halftime to be under the pump at 27-24 midway through the second half.

The Queenslanders were tiring and the dangerous Blues back-row was making in-roads but Hanson produced a massive momentum shift with his charge down to stop the comeback in its tracks.

The Blues still manage to travel back to Auckland with two bonus points thanks to a last-minute fourth try to winger Rene Ranger that has them one point behind Queensland (50) on the ladder.

The victory continues the Reds excellent record of beating top-four rivals in the past two seasons which has had coach Ewen McKenzie praising their ability to produce their best in big games.

While there were notable individual performances across either side, Wallabies winger Digby Ioane was outstanding for the home side, bumping off defenders every time he touched the ball.

"He's just a freak, the amount of ball carries and the amount of metres he gets," playmaker Quade Cooper said of Ioane.

Cooper picked the right night to have a magic match with the boot by slotting seven from seven to finish with a personal haul of 22 points.

Both coaches had predicted a "high-octane" attacking spectacle on a dry Brisbane night and the Reds delivered early.

It took Cooper just four minutes to cross in the left corner, finishing an excellent team try where quick recycling at the breakdown had the Blues defenders outnumbered.

The home side dominated possession and continued to mount pressure but the Aucklanders still managed to show their dangerous capabilities with Brett and Joe Rokocoko set for the goal-line before being brought down by strong cover defence.

Ioane was the man to pull down Rokocoko and he was also menacing whenever he touched the ball.

He sparked an amazing 11-minute passage by bumping off three defenders in a 25m kick return which then enabled Scott Higginbotham to break and pop a pass for Saia Faingaa to score.

Higginbotham crossed for a try of his own four minute later to give the Reds a 24-0 lead.

But then the Blues turned the match on their head.

A Radike Samo fumble gave them field position and Chris Lowrey barged over. Two minutes later Lachie Munroe, who replaced injured centre Benson Stanley early, was also over.

With fullback Ben Lucas re-injuring his shoulder and the Reds feeling the effects of nine straight matches, McKenzie was thankful for next week's bye which ensures they will stay 9-10 points ahead of NSW on the Australian conference standings.

"We had a vision of where we wanted to be at bye week and eight (wins) out of nine was a fair result for this squad and keeps us alive in the competition," he said.

"I think the character of the team has come through a number of times this year and it's come through again tonight.

"You don't beat teams like the Blues without individual heroics and we produced that."

Blues coach Pat Lam admitted Hanson's try was a crucial turning point but bemoaned his side's "terrible start" where they were denied the ball through the Reds pressure and their own errors.

"We did a lot of good stuff but we paid for the bad stuff," Lam said.

Reds inclusion Ben Tapuai enjoyed a fine match at inside centre, replacing injured Auckland product Mike Harris (knee), surprising the visitors with his ball-playing and also producing with strong low tackling.

Brought to you by AAP © 2025 AAP