The Brumbies put their Super 14 playoff hopes back on track with a 40-27 win over the hapless Cheetahs at Vodacom Park on Saturday.

The Brumbies return home to Canberra eighth in the standings, only five points out of the playoffs and with a game in hand.

But they paid a price in the republic with defeats to the Lions and Sharks and seeing utility forward Shawn Mackay hospitalised last weekend and induced into a coma to undergo a spinal operation after being struck by a car during a night out in Durban.

The Brumbies finished their tour blowing out the Cheetahs with three converted tries in the 16 minutes after halftime, zooming from 13-13 to 34-13 up.

"That was very pleasing and we definitely needed that," coach Andy Friend said.

"We needed that as a team for our season, and we needed that for the players and management after a pretty rough week."

The Brumbies were 10-0 ahead after flyhalf Christian Lealiifano stepped between opposite Jacques-Louis Potgieter and Meyer Bosman to run in between the posts, but the Cheetahs hit back to draw level at 13-all by halftime after a try from winger Jongi Nokwe.

However, fullback Mark Gerrard chipped and dribbled in a counter attack, and replacement Peter Kimlin and scrumhalf Josh Holmes exposed poor defence to all score for the Brumbies after the interval. The referee failed to spot a knock-on in the buildup to Gerrard's try and it proved to be a turning point.

Brumbies captain Stirling Mortlock was six-for-six at goalkicks.

Winger Danwel Demas and forward Wayne van Heerden scored late tries for the Cheetahs, who were bolstered by the second-half injection of Springboks flanker Juan Smith but they couldn't retain tackle ball.

The Cheetahs remained winless through seven games, and have five more at home to end their drought.

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