The Chiefs had a level of comfort after about 30 minutes and then killed the Crusaders with a blast of quality rugby midway through the second half that was much like Trent Boult's bowling blitz earlier in the day.
And that's a major comfort for the Chiefs. What they learned last night is that, if they play to their potential, they may be unstoppable.
They will say they have plenty more to come - and no doubt they do - but for week three, this was impressively cohesive, clinical football.
Their certainty of movement and conviction in their game plan was impressive. Their energy, focus and accuracy were all nicely maintained for the 80 minutes and, as the game rumbled on with the Chiefs increasingly comfortable on the scoreboard, their confidence came through.
They didn't overplay things - didn't need to - but the balance between risk and reward was about perfect.
If they have more, as they surely do, the rest of the competition should be concerned because, whatever the Crusaders might be, they are not pushovers. Yet they looked awfully like that in Hamilton.
They looked like a team who knew they had turned up to the big dance without a date and were going to feel the humiliation of their inadequacies.
As to whether this clash really was prom night, there can be no doubting it was. The injury toll was extensive on both sides, with bodies constantly limping to the touchlines.
It was a sign of the intensity - of the crunchy bits having proper venom in them.
The Chiefs, rightly, reckoned there was value in sustained pick-and-go up the middle. It worked well for them in terms of creating that critical momentum and tying in defenders.
A bit of kudos deserves to be pushed towards Augustine Pulu for the role he played in organising that tight, driving effort. When he wasn't bashing around to good effect himself, he had the big lugs well trained - guiding them through the process of where to stand and what to do.
Without the hindrance of oversized traffic clogging his road, Aaron Cruden could take the holes he wanted. He is an imp when he has time and space. A step, a skip, a feint... and before the Crusaders could flap in his direction, he was already coasting behind the defensive line.
And when he's able to poke and probe like he was, when he feels like the game is his to shape, that's when he's deadly.
It felt a lot like classic Chiefs 2012 at times last night - Cruden in majestic form and Sonny Bill Williams running hard and direct next to him. To complete the nostalgic picture, Liam Messam was a significant influence just as he was three years ago when the Chiefs were the team no one could get a handle on.
There was patience and awareness to much of their play. That early-season over-eagerness or rustiness was mostly gone and the Chiefs would be content with a good pass mark in virtually every facet of their work.
The next few weeks for them will be about refinement.
Chiefs 40 (S. Williams, A. Pulu, C. Ngatai, T. Marshall, J. Lowe tries; A. Cruden 3 cons, 3 pens) Crusaders 16 (A. Ellis tries; C. Slade 3 pens)
. Halftime: 22-9.
