Harlequins' defeat at Exeter on Sunday came as no surprise to Chiefs number eight Thomas Waldrom.

The Chiefs notched up their third win in four starts on Sunday when they beat Quins 36-13 at Sandy Park, with the only real high point for the visitors coming from Asaeli Tikoirotuma's first try for the west Londoners.

Former England international Waldrom scored Exeter's opening try - taking his tally to three for the campaign - as he touched down alongside skipper Jack Yeandle and centre Henry Slade.

Fly-half Gareth Steenson added a further 15 points, whi two more monster penalties from Slade helped to complete the job on the Londoners.

And Waldrom, 31, reckoned the Quins success, which lifted Exeter above their visitors in the table, was inevitable after last week's win over Gloucester and a narrow home defeat to Leicester Tigers.

"We've been working hard for the last four weeks. We came very close against Tigers, we had a close run against Gloucester and it was a good performance against Quins," he said.

"We've got to follow it up.

"We said after the first week that we had to keep taking steps forward and it's the same again now.

"We haven't had to take a backward step yet and reassess too many things. So long as we keep building and doing what we're doing week in, week out we should be healthy and go out next weekend and put in another good performance.”

Waldrom nmade more clean breaks than any other Quins player at the weekend and had the experience to help hold off director of rugby Conor O'Shea's men when they colsed to within fiove poiints of the visitors.

"We had them pinned in their half and we dropped off a couple of tackles, but the work we do to cover each other's backs shows,” said Waldrom.

"Everyone is working hard for each other and that's something you can't teach, and that's very pleasing.

"They scored a try then we had to get back in the game and I thought we did that very well. We controlled field position and got what we wanted at the end of the day.”