Reds finally jump Sharks Reds 32 Sharks 17 The Super Rugby hopes of the Sharks, in the gloomy words of their coach, are dead. The Reds are very much alive after "dusting off" some of their old tricks on the way to a drought-breaking triumph at Suncorp Stadium. Four first half tries was enough to give the Reds a 29-3 lead at the break and they needed most of that buffer, eventually withstanding a comeback to win 32-17 and beat the Durban side for the first time in four years. Victory in Brisbane has the Reds just one point behind the Brumbies heading into a difficult two-game swing through South Africa, where they meet the vastly improved Cheetahs and the classy Stormers. They miss out on the Kings, which seems like a virtual bonus-point gimme at the moment, but will be more than a handful for both South African sides if they can reproduce the high-tempo, side-to-side game that reminded Queensland Reds fans of, well, the Queensland Reds. Will Genia said the side had banned the pick-and-drive at training over the past week after using it to within an inch of its life in the dour draw against the Western Force. With that move outlawed, coach Ewen McKenzie said the side "dusted off" some of the glittering backline play that was the hallmark of their resurgence as a force in the competition. All we did is dust off stuff we already had. We didn't actually create anything new. All we did is pull out things we've been doing for a couple of years," McKenzie said. It's amazing - you don't forget - but it's where you put your training focus. When you've got a bunch of things you can do, it's a matter of what you leave in and what you leave out. Sometimes you park something for a week or two and you forget to bring it back in. It was the kind of half that has been brewing all season for Queensland, a side that has been winning regularly without ever seeming to really find any fluency and cohesion. It's been an ongoing frustration at Ballymore but one that can now be relieved as they step onto the plane on Sunday morning. Rod Davies crossed twice, once again proving there is little substitute for pure speed. And Chris F'Sautia added punch in the centres while Ben Tapuai started on the bench. Quade Cooper was a menace, turning in 40 minutes of rugby that if it didn't scream "PICK ME" to Robbie Deans at least made plenty of noise. His penalty goal was the only Reds score of the second half and a settling contribution in a harrowing second stanza. We spoke about starting well in that first 20 minute period and having a lot of energy and enthusiasm and intent. Also we wanted to be creative and express ourselves more than what we had in the past," said captain Will Genia. We're pleased with that. In the second half, we gifted them too much ball with penalties. We just let them back in the game. If we can build more discipline we can shut teams out a bit better. The Sharks have been hammered by injuries but scored two tries of their own in the second half, threatening a comeback with their back-to-basics driving maul and strong presence on the ball. Without James Horwill (jaw) and Liam Gill, who went off at halftime with a corked thigh, the Reds did enough to hold on. Both men will be fit for the African tour. As for the Sharks, their season appears doomed. Their coach John Plumtree said they had endured a horrible campaign and while injuries were a factor, a number of players were dragging the chain. A missed tackle total of 17 in the first half would attest to the accuracy of his summary. QUEENSLAND REDS 32 (Rod Davies 2, Saia Faingaa, Anthony Faingaa tries Quade Cooper 3 cons 2 pens) bt SHARKS 17 (Piet Lindeque, Derick Minnie tries Patrick Lambie 2 cons pen) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: Glen Jackson.