The Brumbies have kept their Super Rugby season alive with a bonus-point win over Melbourne Rebels at GIO Stadium in Canberra, where their six-try victory provided a stark contrast to their previous win, against the Sharks three weeks ago, kicking far less and running with intent in front of 11,071 fans.
Brumbies fly-half Matt Toomua produced a two-try effort to stake his claim for a Test berth against France, and Nic White was equally brilliant - the scrum-half sending Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie a loud message with his crisp passing and sniping linebreaks that set up several tries.
Pat McCabe, Clyde Rathbone and Fotu Auelua were brought into the starting side to bend the line, and they did just that with a brutal display of direct running.
The Brumbies' willingness to run the ball from their own half was rewarded with a four-try bonus point at just the 30th minute mark, but the foundations for their attack were built on ruthless defence that constantly drove the Rebels backwards and forcing errors.
The Brumbies needed just three minutes to get on the board, Toomua slipping under Tom English out wide after more than a dozen phases. The Rebels replied with a penalty before McCabe burst over for a 12-3 lead in the 14th minute. Toomua picked up his second try two minutes later, courtesy of a White linebreak, before prop Scott Sio scored his first try of the season in the 30th minute to secure the bonus point.
The Brumbies picked up where they left off after half-time, Sam Carter burrowing over for a 32-3 lead.
The Rebels finally got the upper hand in an epic scrum battle, and Brumbies prop Ben Alexander was yellow-carded with 13 minutes to go. The Rebels made the most of their numerical advantage with a try to captain Scott Higginbotham, but the Brumbies iced a great night with a try from Leon Power.
The win moves the Brumbies up to fourth spot on the log, three points behind the Australian conference-leading Waratahs. The Rebels on the other hand slipped back to 13th spot going into the break for the June Tests.