Superstar Cipriani - Wasps on a high after No10 runs the show

England's new fly half opened his box of tricks to create three first half tries, lift his team to within striking distance of a home semifinal in next month's play-offs and elicit quite a compliment from Shaun Edwards. "The kid is on his way to becoming a superstar," said Wasps' head coach. "That's why people pay to watch the game — to see players like that.

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"There are still rough edges but he's only 20. I wish my edges had been as rough when I was the same age. On song, he is one of the most exciting players in the game."

Nothing can stop Cipriani and Wasps these days, not even three matches in eight days — a flood of 14 points out of 15 sweeping them into the top three behind leaders Gloucester, their next opponents, with every prospect that the tidal wave will take them all the way to the Grand Final. By then, Wasps could have made it 12 wins in a row.

Saracens, wearing pink in support of the Premiership's breast cancer campaign for which they raised more than £5,000, missed enough tackles to make for uncomfortable viewing. Wasps could give Saracens a seven-point start without any danger of it spoiling the Vicarage Road tea party.

They had maximum points in the bag by the 21st minute, when Cipriani's sumptuous cross-kick put the fourth bonus-point try on a platter for Paul Sackey. By then, Sarries had contributed to their own downfall, Hugh Vyvyan's fumble and Paul Gustard's missed tackle allowing Raphael Ibanez to plough through.

Had the 'Fez Heads' set out to try to hoodwink Munster, their opponents in next Sunday's European Cup semi-final, in the way they hoodwinked the Ospreys by knocking them out a week after losing to the Welsh region by 27 points in Cardiff, they could hardly have done a more convincing job.

They gifted Wasps a second try three minutes later, Adam Powell firing a pass behind the two men outside him, Kevin Sorrell and Francisco Leonelli. They turned to find the ball bobbling in-goal but unable to touch it before wing Tom Voyce had beaten them to it.

Once Cipriani decided to take a hand, Sarries were breached on three more occasions before halftime.

The fly half's dummy and foot on the accelerator sent another of Wasps' bright young things, Dominic Waldouck, knifing along the narrowest of corridors to score at the left corner.

In the course of a dazzling array of kicking, running and handling skills, Cipriani's cross-kick was the highlight. Hoisted on a 50-yard diagonal from left to right, it bounced close to touch but sat up for Sackey to take on the bounce.

Cipriani had not finished yet despite Leonelli interrupting the blitz long enough to get two-thirds of the way towards his second hat-trick in successive home League matches.

A break from Danny boy followed by a one-handed pass out of two tackles sent Waldouck over for his second and Wasps fifth.

"I'd say the first 40 minutes were close to the most embarrassing I have seen in all my time in the game,' said Sarries' veteran director of rugby Alan Gaffney.

"Four of their tries were gimmes. The players were so embarrassed, as I was, so we had a reasonable heart-to-heart. They realised they had to do something and they did."

It got worse before it got better, scrum half Eoin Reddan darting through a gap the size of the proverbial barn door to push Wasps out of sight at 40-12. The game lost, Sarries at least gave their fans something to shout about with four tries.

Cipriani ought to have had the final word, with a 30-yard penalty from the last kick. As if to prove his fallibility he missed it, but Wasps were still tickled pink.