The Hurricanes turned Super Rugby's best defensive team into statues tonight, scoring six second half tries en route to a 56-21 win over the Brumbies.
The 42-0 second half was a staggering showcase of just how good the cream of the New Zealand Conference really is.
The Brumbies are currently the best team in Australia and after playing some superb rugby in the first 40 minutes to open up a 21-14 half time lead, they were thrashed.
The attacking skills on display by the Canes were unbelievable.
They scored four tries from cross field kicks and left the best defensive team in the competition searching for answers.
Vince Aso's triple treat will draw the headlines but Beauden Barrett set up four of the home side's eight tries - two of them sublime cross field kicks which left the Brumbies stranded.
The Brumbies will rue the chance to notch a rare gem of a win against Kiwi opposition away from Canberra.
They were unable to capitalise on a 21-14 half time lead - ill-discipline and poor exits the theme of the second half as they gifted the Canes six soft tries in the final 40.
Rory Arnold, Henry Speight and Tevita Kuridrani starred in the first 40 but no Brumbies made an impression on the second 40.
The match threatened to get ugly when the Canes jumped out to a 14-0 lead with 14 minutes gone but the first half was a tale of two halves in itself.
The first two Brumbies scrums resulted in a Hurricanes penalty and a clean tighthead turnover - both turnovers resulting in Hurricanes tries.
Aso was the first to score - the outside centre slicing through a shoddy Brumbies kick chase from 50 metres out to beat Aidan Toua and Joe Powell to the line.
The first of two Barrett cross field kicks orchestrated the next five pointer - Cory Jane flying above Toua to cleanly collect the ball and dot down at the 14 minute mark.
The match threatened to get ugly at that point as the Canes had dominated the set piece, territory and possession but the Brumbies wrestled back ascendency before scoring their first try of the night with a brilliant lineout move with 23 minutes gone.
A crisp lineout from 15 metres out turned into a fake maul, with the ball shot out the back to Powell instead, who delivered a perfectly timed inside ball to Nic Mayhew, who then offloaded to Tevita Kuridrani for the centre to dive over the line.
Repeat pick and drives allowed Sam Carter to sneak his way over off five minutes later before the Brumbies entered their try of the year contender.
Toua started the movement from the kick off deep inside his 22, as he dummied to kick before putting Rory Arnold through a hole.
The second rower galloped away before offloading to Andrew Smith, who dished to Powell, who found Fardy, who swapped passes with Kuridrani before the Fijian gave Powell his second touch of the movement to score the breathtaking try.
It was that kind of endeavour which clearly shocked the Canes and put the Brumbies in front at half time.
Things didn't go as smoothly to start the second term - Wharenui Hawera sent to the bin after kicking the ball from the back of a ruck when the Canes threatened to score - and the home side made the Brumbies pay.
Aso scored his second of the night - the second from a Barrett cross field kick - to bring the Canes level at the 47 minute mark.
He had his third five minutes later, Barrett drawing Smith and Kuridrani off the back of a scrum from 10 metres out to open up an enormous hole that sent Aso over untouched.
A string of tries followed in what felt like a training run.
The sealer was sparked by a dumb attempted chip kick exit by Hawera from his own 22 - Callum Gibbins charging it down and cleaning the loose ball up to score.
Mark Abbott then found a hole as the Brumbies defended their line to score with 65 minutes on the clock before Gibbins scored a second off the back of a rolling maul and Ngani Laumape ran in another cross field kick try - TJ Perenara the initiator this time round.
RESULT
Hurricanes 56
Tries: Aso 3, Jane, Gibbins 2, Abbott, Laumape
Cons: J Barrett 7, Black
Brumbies 21
Tries: Kuridrani, Carter, Powell
Cons: Hawera 3
