The Hurricanes rebounded from a humbling loss to the Bulls with a 39-34 win over the Cheetahs at Bloemfontein to breathe life back into their Super Rugby campaign.

The two sides continued their recent record of high-scoring thrillers on Friday night although all seven tries came after halftime following a penalty-dominated first half ended at 12-12.

Hurricanes five-eighth Beauden Barrett scored 24 points, including one of their four tries, and controlled much of the game with an impressive long kicking game.

It helped his side break a two-game losing slump, including last weekend’s humiliating 48-14 loss at Pretoria.

A sixth win from 11 games leaves the New Zealand side on the fringe of the top-six playoffs, while the Cheetahs have a 7-4 win-loss record following a disappointing performance coming off the bye.