Maybe it was the presence of "retro" legends playing a curtain-raiser, including Stephen Larkham, Andrew Walker and Jeremy Paul.

Maybe it was the looming decision on Super Rugby's future, which will be announced on Sunday at 6pm with a format overhaul the likely outcome.

Either way the Brumbies kicked into gear in the best possible way for their 10th consecutive Australian derby win, beating the Queensland Reds 43-10.

It extended the Brumbies' win at the top of the Australian conference, despite the club rebuilding this year after losing some of the game's biggest names.

It also added another reminder to SANZAAR and the ARU that the Brumbies should never have even been mentioned in the speculation of which Australian team was facing the axe if Super Rugby cuts teams.

It's understood SANZAAR bosses will detail their vision for the future on Sunday night but the changes won't involve cutting any teams.

It means the past two months of rumours and uncertainty have been an unnecessary black eye on the game, particularly in Canberra.

But the Brumbies have done everything asked of them on the field and Canberra should embrace the team of unknowns which is set to make a major statement.

The only dampener to the Brumbies' night of fast-paced, fun and exciting rugby was injuries to Kyle Godwin and Jordan Smiler.

Godwin has broken a bone in his hand and faces an extended stint on the sideline while No. 8 Smiler will have scans on his hamstring on Monday.

The injuries only slightly took the shine off the Brumbies' impressive run as they found their groove and spoiled the welcome home party for former ACT stars Stephen Moore and George Smith.

Stand-in Brumbies skipper Scott Fardy said: "When guys play like that ... the guys were pretty hot on. We wanted to throw the ball around and I thought we did a good job.

"I thought we were pretty good in the first half but the second half was one of the best halves I've played in with this club."

There was a touch of nostalgia and a history lesson when Brumbies greats of the past ran out earlier in the night, with Larkham scoring an 80-metre try.

But instead of looking back, the new-age Brumbies made a compelling case for a bright future and demolished the struggling Reds as they flicked the switch on razzle-dazzle mode after half-time.

With the scores locked at 10-10 at the break, the Brumbies turned on the afterburners and scored five unanswered second-half tries.

The Reds have now lost six games in a row and slumped to their second worst start to a season in Super Rugby history.

In contrast, the Brumbies have an eight-point lead in the Australian conference and secured their first bonus-point win of the season.

"We were 10-10 at half-time, I don't know what to say really. It's embarrassing," said Reds skipper Moore.

"I thought we did some good stuff in the first half ... but we probably didn't show enough fight in the second half. It's a pretty numb feeling to come here and lose like that."

Larkham said Brumbies fullback Aidan Toua had his best game of the season "without a doubt" and that flanker Chris Alcock "played all over" Australian legend Smith.

The Reds scored first via Chris Kuridrani and scrumhalf James Tuttle missed two first-half penalties that would have given the visitors a handy buffer.

But the Brumbies were the ones who sparked into action, with Tevita Kuridrani scoring their first try before they slaughtered the Reds after the break.

First it was hooker Robbie Abel at the back of a rolling maul, then fullback Toua turned on the afterburners in mid-field as the Brumbies purred like a V8 egine.

Jarrad Butler, James Dargaville and Alcock finished the rout and left Queensland stunned.

"We got on a roll, the boys were enjoying it. We've spoken about trying to be a better side and there were certainly glimpses of it tonight," Larkham said.

"Not everything we touched turned to gold. But the boys were right in everything and the way we played, we can take a lot of confidence out of that."

AT A GLANCE

ACT BRUMBIES 43 (Tevita Kuridrani, Robbie Abel, Aidan Toua, Jarrad Butler, James Dargaville, Chris Alcock tries; Wharenui Hawera 5 conversions, penalty) bt QUEENSLAND REDS 10 (Chris Kuridrani try; James Tuttle penalty, conversion) at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night. Referee: Nick Briant. Crowd: 11,466.