The Brumbies sit atop Super Rugby AU after holding the Western Force scoreless at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.
Here are five things we learned from the bonus-point victory, which saw the Brumbies leapfrog the Reds into top spot on the Australian conference and set up their showdown in Canberra next Saturday night.
1.No Noah, no worries
All pre-season the talk coming from Canberra was that it was proving tough to separate their three young No.10s.
You can see why now.
Noah Lolesio might have captured Australia's attention, Dave Rennie's too by earning selection in his Wallabies Players of National Interest Squad, but he's not the only talented playmaker that's come through the Brumbies system.
Lolesio still looks like a fresh-faced kid, learning on the run.
He's made every post a winner thus far in 2020, but his hamstring injury has opened the door and the man he edged out for the jersey Bayley Kuenzle showed what he's capable of on Saturday night.
The 22-year-old didn't do anything particularly flashy, but as his coach Dan McKellar said, he was "solid".
It's always easier when your forward pack is dominating the contest, but Kuenzle directed his team around with authority, distributed the ball well and gave the ball a "thump", as Fox Sports pundit Rod Kafer said in commentary.
His seamless transition to the No.10 jersey once again reflected well on the Brumbies' coaching and their pathway system.
"We talk all the time about when we expose the young players that they're ready to go, we don't throw them under the bus," McKellar said.
"They're young men and in that position in particular, there's a lot of responsibility to make calls and direct the team around the park, tell guys who are much more senior what to do and he's been working away in the background.
"As I said during the week, NRC, pre-season it was touch and go there between Noah and BK and Reesjan (Pasitoa), and Noah got first opportunity and took it and BK got an opportunity tonight and took it. It's pleasing that we're getting that development right."
2. Remember me?
He was one of the unluckiest men in Australian rugby not to go to the World Cup last year and back-rower Pete Samu once again showed why.
Inside the opening five minutes Samu had helped the Brumbies to two five-pointers.
His ability to use footwork close to the line and offload remains a feature of his game.
Reds No.8 Harry Wilson has quite rightly earned lots of praise in 2020 after a stellar breakout season, but Samu should remain firmly in the Wallabies picture.
Samu's experience, match-winning attitude and ability to cover all the positions in the back-row should have in the Wallabies squad.
3. Defence wins you titles
If there's one thing that Phil Gould is bang on about, it's that defence wins you titles.
It's not often we'll paraphrase a man with ties to rugby league, but when you think of State of Origin and the NRL finals, the side that physically stays in the fight and sticks tight together generally wins.
On Saturday, the Brumbies repelled the Force's attacking raids time after time again.
It was something that McKellar touched upon in his post-match press conference.
"That's the most pleasing part is our defence," he said.
"We spoke today about fronting up the physicality from a defensive point of view. We had a few tough calls there for a period, where we were under the pump, but we adjusted and sorted out our discipline."
The Waratahs would do well to take a leaf out of the Brumbies' book.
Twice they ran out to 14-0 leads in their opening two matches only to be caught and ran down from behind in the second half.
Not Saturday though, as they coughed up two tries in quick succession to immediately be on the back-foot.
It left coach Tim Sampson frustrated, but the Force can take confidence in the fact they never stopped trying.
"I don't think we helped ourselves," was Sampson's response, when asked whether it was a simple matter of the Brumbies being too classy.
"We were resilient, definitely, we just had a chat then. I thought our defence was very stoic, we dug our heels in. It's something you'll always get out of this group, they'll never give up and I think that showed tonight."
It won't be too long, however, before their efforts are rewarded.
They weren't helped by Ian Prior's injury last week against the Reds, but the combination between former Queensland halves Nick Frisby and Jono Lance will get better.
5. 50/22s can help Australia's kickers
For too long Australian rugby sides have been kicked off the park.
The Wallabies have failed to find kickers - in both general play and from the tee - match it with the world's best.
But could Super Rugby AU's new rule in fact help?
The new exclusive Australian rules, which reward kickers if they boot the ball from inside their own half and find touch in the opposition's 22 with an attacking lineout, can be a game-changer if used effectively.
Three times the Brumbies were rewarded with attacking lineouts from long-range kicks, with Irae Simone twice pulling off sensation kicks and Joe Powell once.
But it was Simone's second effort, in the minutes after half-time, that helped secure the Brumbies victory as he kicked the from 25 metres out from his own line and found touch inside the Force's 22.
Moments later, the Brumbies scored their third try as Will Miller crossed out wide.
Not only is the new rule making kicking all the more important, but it could prove to allow for more space out wide if opponents decide to drop an extra man back to cover the kick.
