Quite remarkable. It was as though London Wasps, the outgoing European champions, sought to give Saracens a lesson in what it takes to win Heineken Cups at Vicarage Road yesterday, but in a domestic context. Yet, by the end, Saracens could take heart from an uplifting revival before the cup semi-final with Munster on Sunday.

Down Saracens most certainly were, conceding four tries in the first 21 minutes and trailing 40-12 six minutes into the second half. From so unpromising a situation, they conjured up a try bonus point and were within sniffing distance of a losing bonus point, if not the comeback to beat all comebacks.

That Wasps flagged in the sunshine was hardly surprising. It was their third game in nine days, during which they have taken 14 of a possible 15 league points, scored 15 tries and are now third in the Guinness Premiership after eight successive wins, ahead of Harlequins on points difference and with a game in hand. Moreover, if Danny Cipriani can continue to orchestrate games in the way he did during the first half, they already have one hand on the Premiership trophy.

There is, of course, many a slip, as Wasps know too well. Already without Phil Vickery with a damaged knee, they lost Pat Barnard with a twisted left knee and calf in the third minute and a third prop, Tom French, left near the end with a blow to the neck. They have also to play their final three games within eight days, between May 4 and May 10 at home to Gloucester and away to Newcastle Falcons and Leeds Carnegie.

When the force is with them, though, few English sides can live with them and in that first half, Saracens' faces were as pink as the shirts they were wearing to raise awareness of breast cancer. That Francisco Leonelli, the Saracens right wing, had opened the scoring - and went on to register his second treble in four matches - meant nothing.

It was, Alan Gaffney said, “close to the most embarrassing 40 minutes I have been involved with in rugby”, but the Saracens director of rugby told his players at the interval that only they could put matters right. By his estimation, they made gifts of four of the six Wasps tries but had to work hard to construct their own five; even allowing for a degree of hyperbole, the famed Wasps defence took something of a battering after half-time.

By then, though, they had worked their magic. Hugh Vyvyan failed to control a restart and Raphael Ibañez scored from a pass by Tom Rees, who was superb for an hour. A poor pass from Adam Powell gave Tom Voyce the easiest of touchdowns and when Cipriani dummied through from a free kick, the ever-improving Dominic Waldouck scored the first of two tries.

When Saracens failed to find touch, Cipriani had the vision to see Paul Sackey lurking unattended on the far side of the field and the accuracy with his diagonal kick to lay the fourth try on a plate in the 21st minute, the fastest bonus point of the season. Leonelli's second try broke the sequence but just before the interval, Cipriani set up Waldouck and just after it, Eoin Reddan sprinted 30 metres from a ruck.

Thereafter, Saracens dug deep. Tom Ryder sent Leonelli over for his third try and took advantage of James Haskell's absence in the sin-bin to work space for Richard Haughton. The Wasps defence parted like the Red Sea for Paul Gustard to erupt into their 22 and then, when they thought they had hold of Neil de Kock, the scrum half slipped clear. Munster, winners with a weakened team over the Ospreys on Saturday night, will not be so generous.

Scorers: Saracens: Tries: Leonelli 3 (3min, 33, 53), Haughton (60), De Kock (73). Conversions: Jackson 2. London Wasps: Tries: Ibañez (4), Voyce (8), Waldouck 2 (12, 40+1), Sackey (21), Reddan (46). Conversions: Cipriani 5.

Scoring sequence (Saracens first): 7-0, 7-7, 7-14, 7-21, 7-28, 12-28, 12-35 (half-time), 12-40, 17-40, 22-40, 29-40.

Saracens: R Haughton; F Leonelli, K Sorrell (rep: R Penney, 65), A Powell, K Ratuvou; G Jackson (rep: G Ross, 79), N de Kock (rep: M Rauluni, 79); N Lloyd, F Ongaro (rep: M Cairns, 48), C Johnston (rep: J Visagie, 22), H Vyvyan (rep: I Fullarton, 54), T Ryder, P Gustard, D Barrell (rep: D Seymour, 74), B Skirving.

London Wasps: M van Gisbergen (rep: J Hoadley, 34-41); P Sackey, D Waldouck, J Lewsey, T Voyce; D Cipriani, E Reddan (rep: M McMillan, 65); T Payne, R Ibañez (rep: J Ward, 24), P Barnard (rep: T French, 3; rep: Hoadley, 76), S Shaw, T Palmer (rep: G Skivington, 74), J Worsley (rep: D Leo, 54), T Rees, L Dallaglio (rep: J Haskell, 54; sin-bin, 58-68).

Referee: D Pearson.

Attendance: 13,231.