However successful their defence of the Heineken Cup may prove, London Wasps have a long haul back up the Guinness Premiership from what Ian McGeechan, the director of rugby, described as an “unacceptable” position. Yesterday at Adams Park was a start. With Danny Cipriani allowed to showcase his maturing skills, they leap-frogged London Irish to the less-than-giddy heights of ninth.

It was not so much that Cipriani scored two of his side’s five tries, but the thinking that goes on beneath the scrum cap. He managed the game in a way that Newcastle Falcons could only admire, and regret, given the absence of their international tacticians, Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood. Both are expected to be available for the rerun of this fixture next Saturday, in the EDF Energy Cup match that will decide the winner of their pool.

Wilkinson, who has not played since last month’s World Cup final because of ankle damage, is expected to train this week and, as Carl Hayman is due to arrive from New Zealand today, there will be an air of rejuvenation at the club. Hayman, the All Blacks tight-head prop, will run the journey out of his legs tomorrow and, conceivably, could be in the match squad.

The degree to which Wasps can repair the damage caused by World Cup absentees remains to be seen. Dominic Waldouck, the promising young centre, appears for the second team this week after recovering from a hand injury and Phil Vickery, England’s captain, is not far away from fitness, but it still grates with McGeechan that no sooner will all his assets be fit again then England will come calling.

“I’m always disappointed that your premium domestic competition is undervalued by so many players being away,” he said, thinking ahead to the RBS Six Nations Championship that starts in February. “We just have to keep some consistency now and keep winning with the target of getting into the top four by the end of the season. We can’t afford to drop many games.”

At one stage of the first two months of the Premiership, McGeechan was reduced to 21 fit professionals, so the form of such unconsidered players as Nick Adams and George Skivington has been invaluable. Nor was he surprised that his team took so long to develop a rhythm against the Falcons, after the high-octane European Cup matches against Munster and Llanelli Scarlets over the past two weekends.

Thirty scoreless minutes, dominated largely by Newcastle, had passed before Cipriani landed two penalty goals in four minutes, and that unlocked the door. It would have helped the visiting team if Steve Jones, with two penalty attempts, could have given them some reward for their efforts but instead Wasps grasped the game by the throat before the interval. Riki Flutey cut up their midfield before scoring with ease and then supported Cipriani’s half-break which sent Paul Sackey to the posts.

The third quarter belonged largely to Newcastle, even though their phase play lacked bite. Their tight forwards, who played well in the set-pieces, started to hit the ball with greater effect, Andy Perry and Jon Golding making inroads, James Grindal finding space and Golding stretching over from a ruck under the posts.

The departure of Tom Rees, the England flanker, with soft-tissue damage to his left hand was further encouragement to Newcastle, but by then Wasps were bringing their heavy hitters off the bench. A concerted period of attack earned Cipriani his first try, aided by a fly hack from the hard-working Ben Woods that delivered the ball directly to the fly half. Cipriani was then back sufficiently quickly to haul down Mathew Tait ten metres short.

Tait did, though, create the position from which David Wilson rumbled over to make it a good afternoon for the Newcastle front row until Wilson’s late tackle on Simon Amor, the replacement Wasps scrum half, cost him a yellow card. That left Wasps to dominate the final minutes, and two further tries brought them the bonus point they so badly need if they are to rebuild their Premiership position.

Josh Lewsey, in his longest period of game time since injuring a hamstring against France in the World Cup semi-finals, made a damaging run and Cipriani hurled a long and accurate pass to Sackey for the fourth try. Fraser Waters, so unobtrusive and so valuable to the Wasps midfield, made the fifth for Cipriani to ensure that the buzz is back at High Wycombe.

Scorers: London Wasps: Flutey (37min), Sackey 2 (40+1, 75), Cipriani 2 (58, 80+2). Conversions: Cipriani 2. Penalty goals: Cipriani (31, 35). Newcastle Falcons: Tries: Golding (46), Wilson (61). Conversion: Jones.

Scoring sequence (London Wasps first): 3-0, 6-0, 11-0, 18-0 (half-time), 18-7, 25-7, 25-12, 30-12, 35-12.

London Wasps: M van Gisbergen (rep: J Lewsey, 52); P Sackey, F Waters, R Flutey, T Voyce; D Cipriani, E Reddan (rep: S Amor, 63); T Payne (rep: M Holford, 76), J Ward (rep: R Webber, 76), N Adams, R Birkett (rep: S Shaw, 52), G Skivington, J Haskell, T Rees (rep: D Leo, 56), J Hart (rep: L Dallaglio, 64).

Newcastle Falcons: T May; O Phillips (rep: T Visser, 48), M Tait, J Noon, J Rudd; S Jones, J Grindal (rep: L Dickson, 48); J Golding (rep: J McDonnell, 59), M Thompson (rep: A Long, 52), D Wilson (sin-bin, 71), A Perry (rep: S Tomes, 48), M Sorenson, G Parling, B Woods, P Dowson (rep: Golding, 74).

Referee: M Fox.

Attendance: 9,502.