All Blacks five-eighth Richie Mo'unga has grabbed a hat-trick of tries, as the Crusaders overran Queensland Reds 63-28 at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
Ten years after the dramatic Super Rugby final between the two sides, with both coming off championships in their respective domestic competitions, much was expected of this contest, but Mo'unga stole the show.
The Crusaders first-five grabbed 31 of his team's total, including his first career hat-trick, as his side ran riot to claim a bonus-point victory and move to third on the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman points table, behind the Hurricanes and Blues.
The Crusaders asserted their dominance early, when Mo'unga pounced on a Reds error and scampered 20 metres to open the scoring after just five minutes.
The visitors continued their fast start with two tries in three minutes. The first came from Sevu Reece, before Cullen Grace extended the Crusaders lead to 21.
Even with the lopsided scoreline, the Reds continued to muscle up in defence and made the Crusaders work for their points.
The five-time defending Super Rugby champions were camped down in the Reds 22 for large periods of the first half, but the home side scrambled well in defence.
The pressure finally paid off, when Mo'unga grabbed his second, gathering a loose ball on the bounce and using his speed to beat a Reds defender.
The hosts hit back four minutes before halftime. Denied by the television match official, halfback Tate McDermott took a quick tap penalty from five metres out and burst over the line to reduce the deficit to 28-7 at the break.
The Crusaders continued their dominance into the second half, when Reece ran onto a pin-point David Havili crossfield kick to grab his second try.
Mo'unga rounded out his hat-trick, when he used his trademark footwork and speed to beat a tired Reds defence.
The home side gave their fans something to cheer about, when they crossed for two tries in three minutes midway through the second half, through Harry Wilson and Suliasi Vunivalu, but that didn't stop the red-and-blacks continuing to run in the points.
The Crusaders produced two late tries through Tamaiti Williams - his first in Super Rugby - and captain Codie Taylor to grab their second victory of the trans-Tasman competition.
Reds hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa crossed for his side's fourth, after Crusaders fullback Will Jordan was sent to the sin bin late in the final moments.
Crusaders 63 (Mo'unga 3, Reece 2, Taylor, Williams & Grace tries; penalty try; Mo'unga 8 conversions) bt Reds 28 (McDermott, Vunivalu, Paenga-Amosa & Wilson try; O'Connor 4 conversions)
