Seven-try Exeter Chiefs emphatically beat Bristol Bears 50-14 at Ashton Gate to move to the top of the Premiership table.

Will Capon pulled a try back before a Luke Cowen-Dickie interception pushed the gap back out.

Ruben van Heerden and Richard Capstick added a try each as Exeter dominated.

Exeter had only won on the road once since February prior to kick-off and they conceded two early penalties to begin the match as they were pinned inside their own half.

As Bristol ticked through the phases to draw the Chiefs in narrow, a cross-field kick from Callum Sheedy picked out Fricker - on his return from injury - on the right and the winger had a clear run to the line.

A Joe Simmonds penalty put Exeter on the board, but when Genge was sent to the sin-bin for head contact in a tackle, they were all but handed two tries as gaps opened in Bristol's defensive line.

Two long balls over the top found first Nowell on the right and then Woodburn on the left, with the latter stepping inside to fool the defence and impressively touch down in the corner.

Harry Williams saw a try ruled out by the officials for being held up just after the break, and Henry Slade almost darted over through a gap.

Woodburn did not miss, however, at Exeter's third time of asking, acrobatically diving into the corner to score before Nowell followed suit with his second try five minutes later to secure the bonus point.

Capon's try from the mauling pack suggested Bristol were not yet down and out, but Cowen-Dickie immediately intercepted a pass to stretch Exeter's advantage to 24 again as the stunned home players could only watch him walk under the posts.

Van Heerden made it six tries from close range, and with Piers O'Conor shown a yellow card for a tackle in the air, Capstick made it a half-century score as Bristol suffered a second consecutive defeat.

Bristol: Piutau, Fricker, O'Conor, Bedlow, Lane, Sheedy, Randall; Genge, Capon, Sinckler, Hawkins, Joyce, Vui, Heenan (c), Bradbury.

Replacements: Kerr, Woolmore, Lahiff, Holmes, Thomas, Whiteley, MacGinty, Bates.

Sin-bin: Ellis Genge (17), O'Conor (70).

Exeter: Hogg, Nowell, Slade, O'Loughlin, Woodburn, Simmonds, Maunder; Hepburn, Yeandle (c), Williams, Kirsten, J Gray, Vermeulen, Tshiunza, Capstick.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Iosefa-Scott, Schickerling, Van Heerden, Ewers, Maunder, Skinner, Kata.

Referee: Christophe Ridley.