Queensland Reds captain Ryan Smith is proud of his side's fight to defy a pair of yellow cards and a late Hunter Paisami withdrawal to head to the top of the SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific ladder.
The Reds' 27-24 win over the Force sees the Reds in first on the ladder for the first time in a multi-country Super Rugby competition since 2012.
Watch every match of SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific live and on-demand exclusively on Stan Sport.
They were down to 14 men twice when forwards Alex Hodgman and John Bryant went to the bin.
Hodgman was yellow-carded for repeated infringements in the first half, whilst the young flanker was sent for a dangerous cleanout in the 68th minute.
On top of this, Wallaby Hunter Paisami was forced out before the game, pushing Dre Pakeho to the starting side.
Despite this, the Reds scored down a player when co-captain Tate McDermott darted over in the 73rd minute, holding out a late Force attack for the win.
“We’ll have to fix some sloppy areas but what is really impressive is this team finding a way to win deep into games,” Reds skipper Ryan Smith said.
“Being top of the table is a cool acknowledgement but we have tough games ahead. That’s where you want to be at the tail end of the season.
It sets up a blockbuster match next week as the Reds face second-place Chiefs 22 in Hamilton.
Back-row superstars Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson are expected back, with coach Les Kiss embracing the challenge.
“The Chiefs are the best team in the comp if you look at what they have done this season,” Kiss said.
"The Brumbies follow after that game so two toughies. It’s a challenge we are looking forward to."
