Queensland's Super Rugby renaissance has continued with a stirring 18-7 victory over the Jaguares in Buenos Aires - their third win in a row.
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In their first overseas tour match under Brad Thorn, the Reds produced more stoic defence and gritty set-piece work to upset the Argentinians on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Tries from first-year rookies Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Filipo Daugunu, plus two penalties from James Tuttle, sealed the club's first win in South America.
But it was the relentless young pack led by Wallabies lock Izack Rodda and Caleb Timu that rattled the Mario Ledesma-coached Jaguares into repeated errors and eventually submission.
After beating the Brumbies and Bulls at home in the previous two rounds, it confirms Queensland's incredible progress since Thorn's appointment as coach and proves their recent form is no flash in the pan.
Not since April 2013 have the Reds managed to string three consecutive wins together, while it also snaps a run of 10 defeats in a row on foreign soil.
"To come here to Argentina, where they love their scrummaging and eating red meat, and to do the business again was special," Thorn said.
"There's good aspects everywhere.
"We've got many things we need to get better at. But there is ticker, there's fight.
"You don't walk away from the ground or the TV set going 'those guys don't have a go.'"
The Jaguares went 7-3 up after a clinically-executed scrum play sent Bautista Delguy over in the seventh minute.
But where the NSW Waratahs went to water in a six-try defeat to the Jaguares last weekend, the Reds stuck firm.
They eventually got their reward in the 28th minute as Paenga-Amosa reached for his debut Super Rugby try after a thunderous rolling maul troubled the Jaguares.
Eight minutes later, Tuttle split the middle from around 50m out after the Reds won a full-arm scrum penalty to earn a 11-7 lead.
The Reds extended their lead to 18-7 shortly after the break with a superb sweeping move to the right finished off by Daugunu and converted by Tuttle.
Then they spent most of the rest of the half pinned back on their own defensive line but simply refused to let the Jaguares through, leaving them utterly demoralised.
Jaguares captain Pablo Matera felt the Reds should have been yellow-carded for repeated infringements but still had no complaints about the outcome.
"They had a really good defence and it was fair that they win the game," Matera said.
Australian Associated Press
