Wasps (16) 24
Tries: Broster, Lemi Con: Walder Pens: Walder 4
Exeter (6) 12
Pens: Davis 4

Lemi dives over for Wasps at a foggy Adams Park

Wasps defied the freezing fog to ease past battling Exeter and climb to fifth in the Premiership.

After Dave Walder and Ryan Davis traded penalties to leave Wasps with a 9-6 lead, tries either side of half-time put the hosts in charge.

First, Ben Broster drove across the line then, after the break, David Lemi went over to put Wasps 15 points ahead.

Two Davis penalties lifted the Chiefs, but a late place kick from Walder cemented the Wasps victory.

The visitors were dealt an early blow when winger Andrew Higgins was ruled out with an injury he sustained in the warm up, but they started brightly and took the lead through Davis's third-minute penalty.

Walder levelled from 30 metres out and, after sustained pressure, gave Wasps the lead when the Chiefs conceded another penalty.

A free-flowing first quarter produced plenty of attacking play but neither side was able to break down the opposing defence.

Davis levelled the scores midway through the first half, before Walder restored the home side's advantage and subsequently missed another kick that would have stretched the lead.

The miss was to be of little consequence, though, as tries either side of the break settled the contest.

A minute before the interval, Broster muscled over following a series of five-metre scrums, with Walder adding the conversion.

Then, within five minutes of the restart, centre Steve Kefu and full-back Mark van Gisbergen combined well to send Lemi over the line.

The game was up for Exeter but they continued to fight. Despite plenty of possession, they were unable to break down the Wasps defence and had to make do with Davis's kicks.

He hit the post either side of two successful attempts, the second of which jolted Wasps into life with the result being a position in the Chiefs' 22. When the visitors were penalised, Walder kicked a simple goal to seal the win.

Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks:
"For the second week in a row it was a splendid defensive effort we have got back to the standards that we expect. At half-time we commented that we hadn't defended much but we were conscious that we had to be ready.

"I was disappointed that we didn't have more possession in the second half but we did score two good tries.

"We gave away a couple of soft penalties as we were over anxious by coming in to the rucks from the sides."

Exeter coach Rob Baxter:
"We worked very hard today and ultimately we should have got something out of the game.

"It is a very tough place to come but with the amount of possession and territory we had in the second half we should have rammed home a try and come away with at least a losing bonus point. Up until the final moments of the game we were still playing for something.

"The long and short of it is that we were under pressure in the first half and made too many uncharacteristic errors. We spilled a number of restarts but we are learning all the time."

Wasps: Van Gisbergen; Varndell, Jacobs, Kefu, Lemi; Walder, Simpson; Ruwers, Lindsay, Broster, Shaw, Cannon, Worsley, Betsen, Powell.

Replacements: Hobson for Ruwers (56), Baker for Lindsay (77), Taulafo for Broster (56), Veale for Cannon (58), Ward-Smith for Powell (69). Not Used: Berry, Jewell, Daly.

Exeter: Arscott; Foster, Dollman, Shoemark, Sestaret; Davis, Thomas; Sturgess, Alcott, Budgen, Hayes, Hanks, Johnson, Scaysbrook, Baxter.

Replacements: Rennie for Dollman (55), Cowley for Thomas (55), Whitehead for Alcott (58), Tui for Budgen (48), Gannon for Hanks (61), Slade for Johnson (71). Not Used: Moon, Mieres.

Attendance: 7,931

Referee: Greg Garner (RFU).

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