The Brumbies have plummeted back to earth with a thud after being overwhelmed 43-13 by the Hurricanes in a lop-sided Super Rugby match in Palmerston North.
The Kiwi side won the physicality contest on Friday by a landslide, running in six tries to two against a Brumbies team who spent long periods trying to hold out waves of Hurricanes' runners.
It was a far cry from last week's record 54-17 thumping of the Chiefs in Canberra, a sublime Brumbies performance which sparked a week-long narrative that Australian teams had closed the trans-Tasman gap.
Not on New Zealand soil they seemingly haven't, where Australian sides have lost 38 of the past 39 matches.
That trend never looked threatened after the Hurricanes powered to 14-0 inside 14 minutes.
Captain Dane Coles bagged two of their first-half tries as they pushed to a 19-8 advantage by the break.
The hooker's tally was eclipsed by All Blacks teammate Ngani Laumape, who bagged a hat-trick from inside centre and was the game's dominant figure in a town where he shone at schoolboy level.
Test stars Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara also thrived on the Hurricanes' glut of possession, forcing the visitors into attempting 150 tackles, of which 37 were missed.
The Brumbies offered little in attack although the pack looked effective at scrum time and on the lineout drive, which was the source of a first-half try to hooker Folau Fainga'a.
They also created a late try to replacement back Tom Wright when down to 14 men after Wallabies flanker David Pocock had been shown a yellow card for a late tackle.
Pocock was solid in his first full game of the season, along with All Blacks star Beauden Barrett in his maiden appearance for the home side, kicking 11 points.
The Hurricanes' best display of the season gives them two wins from three, while the Brumbies have notched two losses heading into next week's clash in Melbourne against the Rebels, who turned them over in round one.
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