WELLINGTON - Amid the euphoria of the Hurricanes' Super 12 rugby win over the Crusaders, two-try man Jonah Lomu was urging caution.
Minutes after the Hurricanes had answered with a pulsating display the barrage of criticism that followed the loss to the Blues seven days earlier, Lomu said no one should get carried away.
"We can take a lot of confidence out of this game but [you] shouldn't read too much into it. You can't tell what will happen," he said. "It will be a different kettle of fish playing the Brumbies over there."
The Hurricanes have a bye this week but will take their break in a much happier frame of mind.
Lomu paid tribute to the support given to the Hurricanes. He said the players were spurred on by the noise that echoed around the stadium on Friday night.
"Last week we really let ourselves down and had to be accountable. We had to turn it around."
Lomu also exorcised his own demons, coping better on defence than he had done against the Blues.
"Teams are targeting me and are trying to put the ball behind me and turn me around," he said with refreshing honesty.
"I have just got to combat it by turning and going. I am still hitting below par but hopefully I will take a lot of confidence from this into the next game."
Lomu, who now considers himself a Wellingtonian rather than an import from Auckland, said having players such as Tana Umaga and Christian Cullen alongside him had helped his game no end.
"When you have players of that calibre pushing you week in, week out, it makes you lift your standards to match theirs.
"It makes me want to work even harder when I see them go back as hard as they do. I know that I have to do it as well. The move to Wellington has given me a new lease of life."
- NZPA