Exeter Chiefs have scored six tries, including a Thomas Waldrom hat-trick, to beat Wasps in their Aviva Premiership clash at the Ricoh Arena.

Chiefs came out strongly with Gareth Steenson kicking an early penalty before they engineered the game's first try after a quarter of an hour.

Steenson's fine kick put the visitors five metres from the line and from the lineout Waldrom drove over to extend the lead to 8-0, although Steenson missed the conversion attempt.

Jimmy Gopperth got Wasps on the board with a penalty, but Chiefs' driving was too strong and Jack Nowell made use of an overlap to go over in the corner and put the away side firmly in control.

Gopperth added another three but Chiefs secured the bonus point before half time thanks to a try apiece from Mitch Lees and Waldron, the former thundering over from a lineout before the pack powered Waldrom over for a second to set up a 27-6 lead.

Wasps were shellshocked, but they found an important score moments before the whistle when George Smith's precise kick played in Frank Halai after Nowell was unable to collect, and Gopperth converted to cut the deficit to 12 at the break.

That signalled a swing in momentum, and within the first 13 minutes of the second half Chiefs' once-imperious lead was wiped out altogether as Ashley Johnson rounded off a fine move before Lorenzo Cittadini went over to level things up.

Chiefs rallied, however, and though Waldrom was denied at the first attempt as play was brought back for a penalty, he was not to be denied and completed his hat-trick from another well-executed lineout move with 57 minutes played.

Steenson converted once more to put Chiefs a converted try ahead of Wasps.

Exeter put the game to bed in the 72nd minute as Moray Low went over the line after a pick-and-go move from Chiefs' forwards.

Steenson split the posts with his conversion as Exeter ran out 41-27 winners to move to fourth in the Aviva Premiership table.