As far as benchmarks go this is one to set and then pass.
It was not perfect from the Highlanders but pretty close, as the Southern side beat the Chiefs 26-13 in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The Highlanders were clinical and followed a plan to the letter, never letting a misfiring Chiefs team back into the game.
The side led 13-3 at the break and then skipped away on the back of a Waisake Naholo double to bag what, in the end, was a convincing win.
Prop Daniel Lienert-Brown, who scored his first try at this level on Saturday night, said it was a rugged battle but the side had a plan and stuck to it.
"The coaches came up with a plan on how to take them on and if we stuck to that plan then we were pretty confident we would come away with the win,'' he said.
"The plan was to conserve a bit of energy ... we had to, as the Chiefs play a fast paced game.''
Lienert-Brown said his try came about from a mistake but it was a good piece of fortune.
"It was supposed go behind me. The boys are giving me a bit of a hard time. I stuck my hand out a bit carelessly and I turned around to get it and it opened up.
"I couldn't believe it. I thought they were going to blow the whistle or something. I don't know if it was pace or anything. I just think it was adrenaline.''
He said as the game went on the team had to remind itself to stay focused.
"A few times this year we have let the foot off the throat. We were not really big-picture focused. You just had to keep your mind on each task.''
The Highlanders backed their defence throughout the game by kicking the ball back to the Chiefs and tackling well.
The Chiefs did not help themselves, as their handling was poor and their continuity was non-existent.
The Highlanders were ahead by 10 points at the break and went further ahead with Naholo's try after five minutes of the second half.
Left winger Patrick Osborne broke the line and after a series of phases the ball went wide to Naholo and he ran over Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie to score.
He added another with just under quarter of the game left, when he went outside his opposite, Toni Pulu, to score in the right corner.
That gave the Highlanders a comfortable 23-8 lead and when Lima Sopoaga banged over a penalty straight in front with 12 minutes left, the game was in the bag.
It was a messy first half and neither side put together any phases.
The only try came on the half hour mark, through a burst of speed by Naholo.
From a ruck further on, halfback Aaron Smith threw the ball between prop Lienert-Brown and replacement first five-eighth Marty Banks.
The ball bobbled backwards, Lienert-Brown picked it up, a gap opened up and he sprinted 20m to score.
Best for the Highlanders were Naholo and halfback Aaron Smith, while up front, Lienert-Brown and lock Alex Ainley were industrious.
Highlanders v Chiefs
The scores
Highlanders 26
Waisake Naholo 2, Daniel Lienert-Brown tries; Lima Sopoaga 3 pen; Marty Banks con
Chiefs 13
Aaron Cruden, Sam Vaka tries; Cruden pen
Halftime: 13-3 Highlanders
Crowd: 23,396
