After feeling the pressure by Canterbury in Wednesday's Ranfurly Shield game, Pirates halfback Fa'alele Iosua brought the intensity to Spriggens Park with a 19 point haul in the big win over Kaierau.
Less than twelve months ago, Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau were a team right in contention for the Tasman Tanning Premier playoffs, who would go on to win the Consolation title in their club's 125th year by beating Black Bull Liquor Pirates in the final.
How long ago those days must now seem for the Kaierau supporters, who had begun to depart a chilly Spriggens Park by halftime on Saturday as their understrength and overwhelmed team was destroyed by Pirates 74-0.
It was only the home sides's eagerness to push the pass at the tryline which cost them a couple more seven pointers and the chance to surpass the season record of 88-7 set by McCarthy's Transport Ruapehu against Utiku Old Boys back in April.
Having missed out on the Ranfurly Shield game midweek, Pirates prop Raymond Epati was a one-man wrecking crew and will have the statisticians reaching for the Premier record books to find the last occasion a front rower scored four tries.
Flanker Tafulu Isaako, lock Mene Taufa'asau, and No8 Lasa Ulukuta made offload after offload - giving halfback Fa'alele Iosua and first-five Denning Tyrell a free ride to spin the ball at every opportunity, as the midfield combination of Vaovasa Afa'sua and Siulagi Lafi streaked away through gaping holes.
Iosua also unveiled his goal kicking skills when winger Junior Ainea proved wayward.
There was little Kaierau could offer except commiseration - as they fronted with a nearly all-Senior players bench and were decidedly patchwork with flankers on the wing and vice-versa.
It was good to see Areta Lama back in Kaierau club colours, while the just-retired Steelform Wanganui legend Ace Malo deserves better from those alongside him than that half-hearted effort, even if they are all good local lads playing a bigger squad who are well-ladened with imported talent.
Pirates are known for taking ball in hand, not flawless technique at the break down, so Kaierau did themselves no favours with a mountain of unnecessary penalties for holding in, as well as spilled possession and no-look passes that found only the hands or boot of defenders.
"Couldn't hold the pill, couldn't tackle," said coach Denis Edwards.
"Disrupted to start with. We had 10 at training."
Already looking forward to the end of the 2017 club season, Edwards remained adamant the solution to Kaierau's woes is not to go find hired hands, even if one enforcer in the pack and a general in the backline would make all the difference.
"We're not going to buy players, what does that do to our young guys?
"That's why there is a Wanganui Metro team, and hopefully we'll get a few out of that."
Pirates coach Phillip Morris praised Epati's performance.
"He does his core jobs well. But I've never seen a prop in Whanganui who can stay on his feet, and has got pace.
"We haven't been far away in our last three games.
"The good thing is, we're creating. We squeezed them in the first half, then we went into sevens mode for a while - got too fancy."
Desperate to get a bonus-point victory to stay in the hunt for the Top 4, Pirates were urgent right from the outset and only relaxed when they realised Kaierau could not stop them scoring at a point-a-minute.
Epati powered over for his first try after good buildup from Lafi, Taufa'asau and prop Fa'amanu Pulemagafa, who would also relish the running conditions.
A long Tyrell pass put Lafi through the gap, and then Isaako would beat his man to send the ball along the chain, with Ainea nearly scoring at the Marist clubrooms corner, before Taufa'asau handled again to dive across
Afa'sua took another overhead Tyrell pass and popped it to Epati to just walk through a grab at his collar to plant the ball.
Another Afa'sua break, a chip kick from the ruck, and Lafi was winning the foot race for 22-0 and a bonus point in 19 minutes.
Pirates then got a little too exuberant while Kaierau held on for dear life to hold them back for the next 15 minutes, but the home side eventually got the chain linked again when Lafi found Ainea, who grubbered ahead and regained the ball, with Isaako going over close to the ruck.
Veteran Tyrell turned the clock back as he went on a long gallop of his own, finding Ainea despite Kaierau claims of the forward pass, with play continuing for Ainea to fed the pass back inside for Tyrell's try nearing halftime.
The rot continued after the break as Pirates fullback Tufu Ulufale charged through found Afa'sua, who just shrugged a despairing tackle off his shoulders to score.
Pirates were getting cocky as Isaako made another offload and front rower Pulemagafa, of all people, heeded Iosua's call to put up a perfectly waited chip kick back infield for the halfback to claim and waltz over for the half century.
Epati tried a clever throw at the front of a 22m lineout and when Kaierau read it he just ripped possession back off them and set off on a wing three-quarter speed dash to bulldoze the last defender and score.
The fresh reserves kept the tempo up as winger Clive Stowers made a quick burst, before loose forward Fa'amanu Manutulila distributed passes Isaako and Epati who have Pirates right at the line again, with Ulukuta committing two tacklers and putting Isaako in for his double.
Taufa'asau, Ainea and Isaako then dealt the ball between them like card sharks, before Epati picked it up and twisted through three shattered defenders to score his fourth.
Epati had jaws dropping as after 75 minutes of rugby he dummied through a gap on his own 35m and sprinted straight through Kaierau, only to be dragged down just 10m short, with the ball freed for Taufa'asau to feed Afa'sua inside, who put Stowers over for Pirates 12th try.
Pirates 74 (Raymond Epati 4, Tafulu Isaako 2, Mene Taufa'asau, Siulagi Lafi, Denning Tyrell, Vaovasa Afa'sua, Fa'alele Iosua, Clive Stowers tries; Iosua 7 con) bt Kaierau 0. HT: 36-0.