Hurricanes assistant coach Cory Jane said the defensive effort against the Chiefs in Super Rugby Aotearoa on Sunday was only a starting point for the side.
The effort was overdue, but welcome after frustrations through the earlier rounds of the competition.
Jane said the most satisfying feature of the win was the way aspects they had been practising were achieved.
But it was only one game. They had planned well for what the Chiefs would bring and how they could attack them, and for the majority of the game that had worked.
"Our challenge now is to back it up against the Highlanders," he said.
"The performance was good and there are obviously areas we need to get better at and continue to get better at, but I just think the energy the boys showed…
"I've lit them up a couple of times over the last few weeks just about not being urgent enough if a line break happens, or getting back to help our mates, and I questioned their work ethic. At the weekend they showed the complete opposite so that's a plus," he said.
"But as I said, we've got to make that a step up, it's a starting spot."
He said fullback Jordie Barrett's return to the side, apart from his skillsets, ensured there was a voice in the line while he was also good at being in the right places at the right times.
Although they had to play 30 minutes with 14 men, firstly after Scott Scrafton got a yellow card and then after he picked up a second for an automatic red card, Jane said it was something they had a bit of practice with.
In the regular Super Rugby season, they had lost players to cards overseas and against the Blues.
"We've had a bit of practice at being men down but the character the boys showed in that game was huge not only when we did have him but the intensity…the guys were working hard which wasn't necessarily the case in the previous two games.
"So when we lost him, I think we were in a good space and the boys just continued that. The guys who came off the bench added to that spark as well, so we managed to hold on," he said.
No 8 Ardie Savea was growing back into his game and there were times in the game when he had been devastating with the ball.
"There was a couple of Chiefs guys holding onto his ankles but he was able to stay standing. That's the Ardie Savea of old.
"We expected him to come back after six months off and carve up. He didn't, even though we expected him to do it, so he's slowly starting to find his footing and get himself confident. His body, he says, feels good, so hopefully, he can continue getting to the next level," he said.