In the end the weight of numbers was only a small factor as the Canterbury Crusaders cruised to a 36-14 win, continuing a 19-year hoodoo for the Brumbies in Christchurch.

Toni Pulu and Sam Carter were both sent to the sin bin in the second half for separate high tackles, leaving the Brumbies exposed to a Crusaders onslaught.

But Brumbies coach Dan McKellar was upbeat after the match, despite his team slipping to a two wins and seven losses record which puts their faint finals hopes on the edge of disaster.

The likely return of the Wallabies cavalry, including David Pocock, Scott Sio, Folau Faingaa and Rory Arnold will give the Brumbies a boost when they return to play in Canberra this week.

But is that enough to turn things around and reverse a second-half capitulation trend which has plagued them in almost every game this season?

"When we conceded the first yellow card, we lost our way a little bit and then we were chasing our tail," McKellar said.

"Defensively, we lost our way in the second half. In the first half we were a tight, connected line and making good decisions around the ruck. In the second half, we tried to solve things on our own and that hurt us.

"I was really proud of their effort, but there are some things we'll learn and we'll take out of that. There are certainly things that we can improve on, but we got a reaction out of the group."

Pocock (calf injury) and Sio, Faingaa and Arnold (Wallabies-forced rest) will be a welcome addition to the Brumbies' side to play the Johannesburg Lions in the capital next weekend.

Their absence was notable in Christchurch, even though everything seemed to be going according to plan in a helter-skelter first half against the Crusaders.

The Brumbies led 7-0 when Christian Lealiifano scored the first try and held that advantage when they went into the half-time break.

But it all unravelled soon after. The Crusaders regrouped and scored three tries in the first 20 minutes after the break to turn a deficit into a 19-7 lead.

Samu Reece got the first and Will Jordan jagged a double, including managing to get the ball down despite a clumsy and scrambling high tackle by Pulu.

The Crusaders' wheels started to get rolling and they were almost impossible to stop, adding two more tries to blow the Brumbies out of the contest and secure a 23rd consecutive win in Christchurch.

Pulu, playing just his second game of the season after fracturing his cheekbone in round one, made amends at the end of the game when he broke through and set up Tevita Kuridrani for a consolation try.

The Brumbies did earn high praise for their start to the game, but inconsistency has been their biggest problem this year.

"I thought it was a really impressive first half, we came out with the right intent. It's just a shame we couldn't continue that in the second half," Lealiifano said.

"The Crusaders put us under a lot of pressure and a quality side like that can hurt you from anywhere. It's hard enough playing them with 15 [men] ... disappointing, just one of those things where tackles slip up high.

"We've got to be better at adapting to those situations, but we'll learn from that.

The Brumbies will monitor the fitness of Pocock this week as he attempts to overcome the niggling calf problem which has derailed his personal campaign.

Pocock has played just one full game this year. He was concussed just five minutes into round one and then injured his calf in the second half of round five.

His presence will be crucial to beating the Lions and helping the Brumbies resurrect their season after a disappointing start to the year.

There were some positives for the Brumbies in their 22-point loss against the Crusaders. Lock Darcy Swain made his starting debut and lived up to the hype as a player of the future with a strong display against an All Blacks pack.

Tevita Kuridrani is getting back to his best, but is getting limited opportunities with the ball and Pulu looks like he will add X-factor to the back line.

Back-rower Pete Samu limped off the field in the second half with a sore knee but is expected to be cleared any injury which would impact his selection availability.

AT A GLANCE

CANTERBURY CRUSADERS 36 (Will Jordan 2, Samu Reece 2, Jordan Taufua tries; Richie Mo'unga 3, Brett Cameron conversions; Brett Cameron penalty) bt ACT BRUMBIES 14 (Christian Lealiifano, Tevita Kuridrani tries; Christian Lealiifano 2 conversions) at Christchurch on Saturday. Referee: Jaco Peyper.