Both teams started brightly in the freezing conditions, but after some early pressure in the scrum it was the Saints who drew first blood with a well-struck penalty from Stephen Myler after six minutes. The visitors could have levelled straightaway but Will Robinson pushed his opening penalty from the right touchline just to the left of the posts.
But this was just a minor blip in how the first half would pan out, and although miscommunication between Myler and his captain Calum Clark ended a good chance the home side dusted themselves down and went again and this time they were rewarded with the first try of the game. Martin Roberts darted through the Wasps defence and was held up just short of the line but when the Saints reworked the opening, hooker Andy Long crashed over for his first ever Saints try, which Myler converted with ease.
After seeing Long record his first ever score in green, black and gold, James Craig soon followed suit and put the Saints firmly in charge. Referee Dean Richards awarded the home side a penalty inside the Wasps 22 and Craig took a quick tap, headed for the line and dotted down to get the Saints halfway towards their bonus point.
Wasps, despite not having created a chance in the first half, did manage to get themselves on the scoreboard with three minutes of the first period remaining through a well-converted Robinson penalty.
A positive first-half display from the Saints was capped when they ran in their third try on 38 minutes. Myler attempted kick through the visitors' defence and even though the ball rebounded off a Wasps player, it fell kindly for Jamie Elliott who scooped it off his toes and ran under the posts. Myler was on hand to slot the conversion and give the Saints a commanding 22-3 lead at the half-time interval.
Things got even better for the Saints when they took advantage of Simon McIntyre's yellow card to secure the bonus point. As the men in green, black and gold bundled their way towards the line, Wasps were unable to cope with their power and drive and referee Dean Richards was left with no option but to run under the posts and award the penalty try, which Myler duly converted.
In what was rapidly becoming an afternoon for first tries, Noah Cato was the next man to get his first ever score in Saints colours. The home side had numerous opportunities to grab their fifth try of the afternoon but when they finally moved the ball out wide, Cato was on hand to finish superbly in the corner. Myler added the extras with a superb kick from the touchline and the Saints had a well-deserved 36-3 advantage.
Wasps were looking heavy-legged and the Saints were running through them at will so it was no surprise when Elliott grabbed his second score on 68 minutes. After a good run from replacement Tom May, the Saints recycled the ball well and Elliott side-stepped his man to charge under the posts for the home side's sixth score of the game, a score which Myler had no trouble in converting.
To their credit, the visitors responded by recording their first try of the afternoon with a superb individual score from Joe Simpson. After the receiving the ball on the 10-metre line, Simpson chased through his own kick, collected the bouncing ball and ran over the line. Replacement kicker Nicky Robinson added the extras to give the visitors some respectability on the scoreboard.
The Saints then put a deserved gloss on their performance as they reached and then surged past the 50-point mark in front of a delighted Franklins Gardens crowd.
First a Saints maul proved far too powerful for the Wasps defence and Alex Waller was able to take control of the ball and touch down for his first score of the game. Then with the final play of the match, Cato grabbed his second try when he went round the outside of the defender and dotted down in the corner. Myler sealed his impeccable afternoon with the boot by converting both scores, giving the Saints a superb 57-10 victory and with that result, booking their place in the last four of the LV=Cup.
REFEREE Dean RICHARDS
TRAVIS PERKINS MAN OF THE MATCH Christian DAY
TIMELINE
6mins SAINTS Pen Myler 3-0
17mins SAINTS Try Long Con Myler 10-0
24mins SAINTS Try Craig 15-0
37mins WASPS Pen W Robinson 15-3
38mins SAINTS Try Elliott Con Myler 22-3
HALF-TIME SAINTS 22 WASPS 3
51mins WASPS Yellow Card McIntyre
52mins SAINTS Pen Try Con Myler 29-3
64mins SAINTS Try Cato Con Myler 36-3
68mins SAINTS Try Elliott Con Myler 43-3
71mins WASPS Try Simpson Con N Robinson 43-10
76mins SAINTS Try Waller Con Myler 50-10
79mins SAINTS Try Cato Con Myler 57-10
FULL-TIME SAINTS 57 WASPS 10
