London Irish injected some life into their charge for Europe with a comprehensive destruction of London Scottish in the Exiles derby.

Last week Scotland got the better of their Five Nations tussle with Ireland, but in sleepy Sunbury, the capital's Irish exiles clinically exacted revenge.

Irish dominated from the outset as Scottish seemed to lack the desire to exert any authority.

Dick Best's side soon began to stack up the points as both Garrod Cunningham and long-range penalty specialist Conor O'Shea turned in an immaculate kicking display.

Winger Cunningham was cool and assured from every angle, and his 17-point haul passes his season's best.

As ever, O'Shea was the heartbeat of the Exiles cause, repeatedly turning defence into attack with explosive bursts of pace. But repeated handling errors and turnovers prevented Irish from surging away.

Instead, they waited patiently until the 21st minute before breaking the try deadlock when flanker Rob Gallacher galloped beneath the posts after Kevin Putt's neat set-up play.

With their future still uncertain, Scottish may be forgiven for lacking the brave-heart spirit. Jannie de Beer proved reliable with the boot, collecting three first-half penalties, but his mature display failed to inspire those around him.

The second half was seconds old when Irish extended further their 16-point interval lead, again through the boot of Cunningham.

De Beer hit back with a long-range drop goal, but on a warm afternoon any hopes of a Scottish fight-back soon began to wilt.

Although assured of victory, Irish remained resolute in defence. The visitors had opportunities for a consolation score only for Irish replacement Richard Kirke to gallop clear for Irish's second try deep in injury time. London Scottish director of rugby John Steele admitted the threat of Bristol's hostile take-over is beginning to take its toll on the Exiles.

"We're trying to be professional but it would be very naive to say that the situation with Bristol isn't playing on everybody's minds," said Steele. "The players have commitments and families and are naturally very concerned for their futures.

"However, we are trying to adopt a professional attitude and there is no excuse for non-performance."