Biggs is best for Bath

Biggs: Hat-trick hero at Twickenham

Tom Biggs scored a first-half hat-trick as Bath kept their faint play-off hopes alive with a crushing 43-10 victory over London Wasps at Twickenham.

The bonus-point triumph means the West Country outfit can still qualify for the top four mathematically, however Northampton's victory over London Irish earlier on Saturday makes them strong favourites for fourth spot.

Briggs struck three times inside the opening 40 minutes and a Matt Banahan brace and a late Matthew Carraro score sealed an emphatic victory in the St George's Day fixture.

Bath now face relegation-threatened Newcastle in their remaining two games and will hope for back-to-back victories as they aim to sneak a top-four finish.

Bath led inside the fourth minute when scrum-half Michael Claassens found Nick Abendanon and his neat offload allowed Biggs to crash over the line from close range.

Brilliant

The impressive Sam Vesty landed the conversion and then added a penalty to put his side 10-0 up in the 23rd minute.

Three minutes later, Bath fashioned a superb second try when Claasens' long pass found England centre Banahan marauding down the left channel.

Banahan showed intelligence to send Biggs scampering clear for a try that Vesty converted to put his side 17-0 ahead. In the 35th minute, Banahan grabbed the 30th Premiership try of his career after some brilliant work from Claasens.

Vesty added the extras and shortly before the break Biggs produced another fine finish to complete his treble. Wasps, whose only points of the first half came from a solitary penalty from departing fly-half Dave Walder, knew the game was effectively over with the scoreline 29-3 in Bath's favour at the break.

In the 55th minute, Banahan touched down Vesty's fine kick and Vesty converted before Wasps scrum-half Joe Simpson claimed a breakaway try which he converted himself.

But Carraro sauntered over late on for Bath's sixth try and Vesty added the extras to make it 43-10 to Bath.