Canterbury turned on the style to beat Manawatu 50-26 tonight, scoring eight tries, bagging five competition points and retaining the Ranfurly Shield.
In an open game, Canterbury were down 0-7 after only two minutes thanks to some Aaron Cruden magic in splitting the defence and sending wing Aaron James in for a converted try.
But Canterbury struck back with some dazzling running of their own and soon took control.
The Red and Blacks had scored four tries and claimed the bonus point after 17 minutes, returning All Black loose forward Kieran Read going over for two, with Sam Whitelock and Tu Umaga-Marshall claiming the others.
Read's first try was a beauty and came thanks to a break by Andy Ellis. The halfback passed inside to second-five Ryan Crotty and Read accepted the pass on the angle to score under the posts.
Whitelock scored his try virtually straight from the kick-off. Stephen Brett seized the opportunity to open it up and released the lock who ran it in from 60m, delivering a perfect dummy to Sean Maitland on the way.
Wing Umaga-Marshall finished off a smart back move to score in the left corner, superbly converted by Brett and Canterbury were quickly 19-7 up.
There was more action to come. Manawatu No8 Brent Thompson was sinbinned for punching Wyatt Crockett and then Read powered over from close range to score his second.
The blindside flanker then went off due to a head knock suffered in the 13th minute while making a tackle. His replacement was none other than All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
Corey Flynn scored after 29 minutes following a Brad Thorn run and it was 33-7.
With time running out in the first half, the Turbos scored a deserved try through lock James Goode after a long period of sustained pressure.
Ellis scored six minutes after the break for Canterbury following a Crotty run, with Goode scoring his second try of the night when charging down a Brett attempted clearance.
Normal service for Canterbury was resumed when Colin Slade and Dan Carter scored in quick succession.
Centre Tim Bateman attacked the line and passed a brilliant ball around the back of a defender to the flying Slade and Carter, a replacement for Maitland, scored with his first touch of the ball after Crotty broke free down the right touchline.
However, Manawatu had the last word, perhaps deservedly so as they played with a lot of spirit, when replacement wing Tevita Taufui scored a converted try with six minutes left.
Ellis and lock Whitelock were standouts for Canterbury, with centres Crotty and Bateman also running the ball well. Crotty's defence was outstanding at times as it has been all season.
McCaw played well during his 60 minutes on the field and Carter's class was evident despite him playing for only 16 minutes. His enthusiasm on defence was especially notable.
Skipper George Whitelock's work at the breakdown was up to its usual high standard.
Canterbury - Tries: Kieran Read (2), Sam Whitelock, Tu Umaga-Marshall, Corey Flynn, Andy Ellis, Colin Slade, Dan Carter. Conversions: Stephen Brett (5).
Manawatu - Tries: James Goode (2), Aaron James, Tevita Taufui. Conversions: Isaac Thompson (3).
HT: Canterbury 33-12
Canterbury
1. Wyatt Crockett (17. Andrew Olorenshaw 51st min)
2. Corey Flynn (16. Ti'i Paulo 58th min)
3. Owen Franks
4. Sam Whitelock
5. Brad Thorn (18. James Broadhurst 68th min)
6. Kieran Read (19. Richie McCaw 19th min)
7. George Whitelock (c)
8. Nasi Manu
9. Andy Ellis (20. Tyson Keats 58th min)
10. Stephen Brett
11. Tu Umaga-Marshall (22. Casey Laulala 62nd min)
12. Ryan Crotty
13. Tim Bateman
14. Sean Maitland (21. Dan Carter 64th min)
15. Colin Slade