Lock Patrick Tuipulotu has signalled his readiness to return to All Blacks contention with a first-half hat-trick of tries, leading Auckland to a convincing 36-10 victory over Tasman at Eden Park.
The win - their fourth in succession - leaves the blue-and-whites as the last remaining unbeaten side remaining in Mitre 10 Cup play this season.
Both teams entered the contest with a 3-0 record, but the South Islanders had been - arguably - the more impressive, with success against defending Premiership champions Canterbury in their season opener.
Auckland last won the national provincial title in 2007 and were lucky to avoid relegation to the second-tier Championship last season.
Their three previous wins had come against lower-ranked teams, but they issued a warning to their rivals on Friday night, brushing aside Tasman with a brutal first-half assault.
For Tuipulotu, in particular, the performance was another promising sign, after another disappointing season for the locally based Super Rugby Blues.
The giant lock missed much of that campaign through injury and never really had a chance to impress the national selectors.
His side were 10-3 behind, when he crossed between the posts for his first try of the night, with first-five Harry Plummer's conversion bringing Auckland to even terms.
Two minutes later, Tuipulotu showed his athleticism, recovering a loose ball, shrugging off tackles and sprinting 40 metres for his second.
With half-time on the clock, he was on the end of several phases of forward pressure on the Tasman goal-line, helping Auckland to a 29-10 margin at the break.
After the restart, both teams played out a scoreless second half, until number eight Akira Ioane broke the Tasman defence for a try that put icing on a resounding performance.
"They've been the best so far in the comp," reflected Auckland skipper Blake Gibson. "I think getting those points at the end of the first half was quite important and we had to defend for most of the second half.
"We definitely wanted to see where we were at. Three wins on the go, but this was going to be the real test and we were happy with how we went."
Tuipulotu was predictably named Man of the Match, but shrugged off his try-scoring feats.
"The ball fell into my hands quite a bit and I just got lucky," he insisted.
Tasman host Taranaki in Nelson next Friday, while Auckland face another test of the title hopes, when they visit Canterbury two days later.
Auckland 36 (Patrick Tuipulotu 3, Melani Nanai & Akira Ioane tries; Harry Plummer four conversions & penalty) Tasman 10 (Ethan Blackadder try; Mitch Hunt conversion & penalty)
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