By James Standley

England captain Phil Vickery scored Wasps' second try

Wasps (26) 40
Tries: Waters, Vickery, Doherty, Waldouck, Hoadley, Sackey
Cons: Cipriani 4, Doherty

Scarlets (7) 7
Tries: Manu
Cons: Priestlend

Defending champions Wasps boosted their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes with a bonus-point win over Llanelli Scarlets.

Fraser Waters opened the scoring for Wasps and they soon added a second try through England captain Phil Vickery.

The Scarlets replied through Deacon Manu but David Doherty and Dominic Waldouck finished off sweeping moves to make it 26-7 at the break.

Wasps continued to dominate in the second half and Rob Hoadley and Paul Sackey added further tries.

The losing bonus point Munster gained in their 26-19 defeat at Clermont Auvergne later on Sunday means Wasps top the group by three points from the Irish side.

The reigning champions now travel to the 2006 winners for a winner-takes-all contest in the final pool game next Saturday.

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Wasps went into the match against an injury-hit Scarlets side smarting from their inability to pick up bonus points in their recent victories.

They were determined not to make the same mistake yet again and, with Ireland scrum-half Eoin Reddan in electric form, they were buzzing around at pace from the first whistle.

Reddan had already made one sniping break from a tap penalty when, in the sixth minute, he set off again with the Scarlets defence once more caught napping.

Reddan scissored with Waters to send the centre powering over and the impressive Danny Cipriani added the conversion to give Wasps the perfect start.

Ten minutes later they scored their second try.

James Haskell, who impressed in all facets of the game, bullocked his way forward after the Scarlets lost a line-out on their own throw and when Wasps recycled Cipriani shredded the defence up the blindside.

Wasps blind-side James Haskell excelled in all parts of his game

Waters took play on and although Waldouck was held up just short, Wasps recycled again and Vickery drilled over for an unconverted try with some help from his mates in the tight five.

It had been all Wasps at this stage and it was a surprise when prop Manu finished off a powerful attack to get the visitors on the board.

Rees Priestlend converted but it was brief bright spot for the Scarlets, who conceded two more scores by the break.

Doherty scored from Riki's Flutey's precise grubber kick after superb play by the 20-year-olds Cipriani and Waldouck had carved open the Scarlets midfield.

And the Wasps backs combined beautifully once more just before the break, with some crisp passing setting Sackey clear down the right before his inside pass enabled Waldouck to scoot over.

Cipriani confirmed his place-kicking is improving with every game by converting both scores to make it 26-7 at half-time.

Wasps continued to dominate after the break, although they could not quite maintain the excellence of their first-half display.

Hoadley marked his appearance as a replacement for the injured Flutey by finishing off yet another sweeping attack for another converted try.

And they added a sixth try when a cute Lawrence Dallaglio reverse pass to replacement scrum-half Mark McMillan laid the groundwork for Sackey to stroll over as Wasps cruised to a comprehensive victory.

"I'm the past of English rugby, he is the future and if he keeps performing like he did today he'll do very well."

Wasps: Doherty, Sackey, Waters, Flutey, Waldouck, Cipriani, Reddan, Payne, Ibanez, Vickery, Shaw, Skivington, Haskell, Rees, Dallaglio.
Replacements: Ward, French, Palmer, Hart, McMillan, Hoadley, Birkett.

Llanelli Scarlets: C Thomas, Daniel, Watkins, G Evans, M Jones, Priestlend, L Davies, I Thomas, Hayter, Manu, Eustace, MacLeod, D Jones, Easterby, N Thomas.
Replacements: George, Douglas, Day, Bater, Cattle, J Davies, G Evans.