A fearsome first hour in which they scored four tries without reply put Wasps on course for a comfortable victory over London Irish.

Warren Gatland's side ran rings around the Exiles' defence to lead 31-0, with Paul Sampson, Rob Howley, Shane Roiser and Craig Dowd all crossing for tries.

Irish managed to claw back some respectability with three tries in the closing stages, but that did little to disguise the gulf between the teams on the day.

The visitors started as they meant to continue with Alex King kicking a ninth-minute penalty and Sampson scoring with a kick and chase in the 11th-minute.

King converted and Wasps continued to dominate with a second try on the half-hour.

Scrum-half Howley was the scorer, breaking loose from a ruck to scamper over the line.

Again King added the extra two points before wing Roiser piled on the misery for Irish with the visitors' third converted try.

Exiles stand-off Barry Everitt - last season's top points-scorer - could not match King's reliability with the boot and missed his third penalty before Wasps forged further ahead.

This time, it was Dowd who crossed, with King adding his fourth conversion.

Irish finally got off the mark on the hour as Mike Worsley muscled his way over the try-line, Everitt at last converting.

Flanker Declan Danaher then weighed in with two converted tries in the dying minutes but his efforts came too late to offer London Irish any comfort from a lacklustre show.

London Irish: Horak; Sackey, Burrows, Appleford, Bishop; Everitt, Edwards; Hatley, Drotske, Hardwick, Strudwick, Casey, Danaher, Dawson, Gustard.
Replacements: Barrett, Mapletoft, Cockle, Flavin, Burke, Worsley, Durant.

Wasps: Sampson; Roiser, Abbott, Denney, Lewsey; A King, Howley; Dowd, Greening, W. Green, Shaw, Birkett, Worsley, Volley, Dallaglio.
Replacements: Wood, Van Gisbergen, Logan, Gotting, Molloy, Beardshaw, McCarthy.

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)