Brumbies captain Sam Carter conceded the Reds "out worked and out muscled" the visitors in an 18-10 defeat.

The Brumbies scored the only two tries of the game but never hit top gear as ill discipline and a wobbling set piece cost them any chance of victory at Suncorp Stadium.

It was an ugly battle in Brisbane, with the Reds booting six penalty goals and bombing several try-scoring opportunities.

But the Reds were intent on making amends for a round-one disaster last week and they've blown the Australian conference wide open after causing a major upset against the fancied Brumbies.

It makes the Brumbies' trip to Melbourne next weekend a season-defining trip as they search for winning momentum and confidence before playing their first game at Canberra Stadium on March 17.

Christian Lealiifano played just five minutes of the second half before being taken off, while the Brumbies will sweat on bumps and bruises to their back-rowers after a physically draining match.

"We're really disappointed with that effort. We came up here looking for the win, the Reds out-worked us and out-muscled us," Carter said.

"Across the board [we were poor], our set piece was pretty bad. We had some good patches, but a lot of bad patches and that killed us in the end."

The Reds dismantled the Brumbies' scrum in the second half, easily winning the battle of the forward packs as the Brumbies struggled to take control of the contest.

It was made even more impressive by the fact the Reds spent 10 minutes with 14 men after Caleb Timu was sent to the sin bin for a shoulder charge.

"I thought our set piece did exceptionally well tonight, we knew we were going up against a team that loves their set piece. To go well against them was pretty pleasing," said Reds skipper James Slipper.

"These young players don't lack any confidence, they're footy players, they went out and played for Queensland and I thought they did a really good job.

"We did [find a way to win] ... this week we concentrated on ourselves and a few calls went our way."

The Reds were always expected to unleash a wave of pent-up frustration after a round-one shellacking and have two players - including regular captain Scott Higginbotham - suspended.

"The boys found a way, that's what I've been wanting. I've been wanting the boys to remember they're Queenslanders and fight, I'm really happy for them tonight," said Reds coach Brad Thorn.

It didn't take long for the anger to bubble to the surface, dominating the first 25 minutes of possession and jumping to a 6-0 lead.

The Brumbies scrambled to stay alive and, after a 25-minute onslaught, it paid dividends when scrumhalf Joe Powell scored an easy try from close range, darting between tired Reds defenders to cut the margin to one point.

Timu's absence at the end of the first half threatened to break the game open and the Brumbies charged towards the line only to be held up, allowing the Reds to cling to a slender lead at the break.

The game turned into an arm wrestle as the Brumbies squandered chances and the Reds clawed their way back into the contest, extending their lead after winning another penalty.

The Reds demolished the Brumbies at scrum time, allowing them to steal momentum and kick their way to a 15-5 lead with less than 10 minutes left in the match.

The Brumbies gave themselves a chance when Isi Naisarani forced his way across the line, but Wharenui Hawera missed the conversion attempt.

But Jono Lance hammered the final dagger into the Brumbies' coffin in the dying minutes to seal a crucial early-season win.

QUEENSLAND REDS 18 (James Tuttle 3, Jono Lance 3 penalties) bt ACT BRUMBIES 10 (Joe Powell, Isi Naisarani tries) at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. Referee: Angus Gardner. Crowd: 11,000