diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
index de6be101abf2..3270c8ad1819 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
@@ -1478,11 +1478,13 @@ rpcrdma_post_recvs(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt, bool temp)
 {
 	struct rpcrdma_buffer *buf = &r_xprt->rx_buf;
 	struct rpcrdma_ep *ep = &r_xprt->rx_ep;
-	struct ib_recv_wr *wr, *bad_wr;
+	struct ib_recv_wr *i, *wr, *bad_wr;
+	struct rpcrdma_rep *rep;
 	int needed, count, rc;
 
 	rc = 0;
 	count = 0;
+
 	needed = buf->rb_credits + (buf->rb_bc_srv_max_requests << 1);
 	if (ep->rep_receive_count > needed)
 		goto out;
@@ -1490,39 +1492,48 @@ rpcrdma_post_recvs(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt, bool temp)
 	if (!temp)
 		needed += RPCRDMA_MAX_RECV_BATCH;
 
-	count = 0;
+	/* fast path: all needed reps can be found on the free list */
 	wr = NULL;
+	spin_lock(&buf->rb_lock);
 	while (needed) {
-		struct rpcrdma_rep *rep;
-
-		spin_lock(&buf->rb_lock);
 		rep = list_first_entry_or_null(&buf->rb_recv_bufs,
 					       struct rpcrdma_rep, rr_list);
-		if (likely(rep))
-			list_del(&rep->rr_list);
-		spin_unlock(&buf->rb_lock);
-		if (!rep) {
-			rep = rpcrdma_rep_create(r_xprt, temp);
-			if (!rep)
-				break;
-		}
-
-		if (!rpcrdma_regbuf_dma_map(r_xprt, rep->rr_rdmabuf)) {
-			rpcrdma_recv_buffer_put(rep);
+		if (!rep)
 			break;
-		}
 
-		trace_xprtrdma_post_recv(rep->rr_recv_wr.wr_cqe);
+		list_del(&rep->rr_list);
 		rep->rr_recv_wr.next = wr;
 		wr = &rep->rr_recv_wr;
-		++count;
 		--needed;
 	}
-	if (!count)
+	spin_unlock(&buf->rb_lock);
+
+	while (needed) {
+		rep = rpcrdma_rep_create(r_xprt, temp);
+		if (!rep)
+			break;
+
+		rep->rr_recv_wr.next = wr;
+		wr = &rep->rr_recv_wr;
+		--needed;
+	}
+	if (!wr)
 		goto out;
 
+	for (i = wr; i; i = i->next) {
+		rep = container_of(i, struct rpcrdma_rep, rr_recv_wr);
+
+		if (!rpcrdma_regbuf_dma_map(r_xprt, rep->rr_rdmabuf))
+			goto release_wrs;
+
+		trace_xprtrdma_post_recv(rep->rr_recv_wr.wr_cqe);
+		++count;
+	}
+
 	rc = ib_post_recv(r_xprt->rx_ia.ri_id->qp, wr,
 			  (const struct ib_recv_wr **)&bad_wr);
+out:
+	trace_xprtrdma_post_recvs(r_xprt, count, rc);
 	if (rc) {
 		for (wr = bad_wr; wr;) {
 			struct rpcrdma_rep *rep;
@@ -1534,6 +1545,12 @@ rpcrdma_post_recvs(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt, bool temp)
 		}
 	}
 	ep->rep_receive_count += count;
-out:
-	trace_xprtrdma_post_recvs(r_xprt, count, rc);
+	return;
+
+release_wrs:
+	for (i = wr; i;) {
+		rep = container_of(i, struct rpcrdma_rep, rr_recv_wr);
+		i = i->next;
+		rpcrdma_recv_buffer_put(rep);
+	}
 }