Exeter Chiefs made it four wins out of four in the Champions Cup this season, beating Sale Sharks 35-10 to extend their lead atop the pool.

A brace of tries from Sam Simmonds and one from his brother, Joe, Ben Moon and Jack Nowell saw the ruthless Chiefs to a bonus-point victory which leaves them 10 points clear at the summit of Pool 2, with Glasgow in second spot, smarting after Saturday’s home defeat to La Rochelle.

Sam James scored for Sale in the second half, which was interrupted due to a hailstorm, as their slim qualification chances are ended.

Exeter were unchanged from the side that beat Sale last weekend, but Sharks boss Steve Diamond made 10 switches, including starts for scrum-half Will Cliff, hooker Curtis Langdon and lock Matt Postlethwaite.

Exeter dominated early territory and possession, with full-back Stuart Hogg prominent, but Sale took an 18th-minute lead through an AJ MacGinty penalty.

The Sharks were then forced into a positional reshuffle after full-back Cameron Redpath went off injured. He was replaced by Marland Yarde, with Byron McGuigan assuming number 15 duties.

And Exeter, playing into a strong wind, hit back when Sam Simmonds powered over from close range for a try that his brother converted for a 7-3 lead.

Sale’s injury woes did not end with losing Redpath, as flanker Ben Curry failed a head injury assessment and was replaced by Cameron Neild.

Despite an advantage by the elements, Sale could not make it count, and Exeter held an upper hand greater than the 7-3 interval scoreline suggested.

Henry Slade and Ian Whitten brilliantly to set up an early second-half chance for Exeter, but Hogg was narrowly beaten to the touchdown by a defending Sam James.

Wing Denny Solomona became Sale’s third player to depart early because of an injury, and Exeter were starting to move through the gears with Slade in the driving seat.

Langdon was then sin-binned for a technical infringement, and he had hardly left the pitch before Joe Simmonds crossed for Exeter’s second try that the fly-half also converted.

There was no stopping the Simmonds double act, and Sam Simmonds claimed his second try during a damaging spell for Sale when Langdon was still off, and another conversion opened up an 18-point lead.

James claimed a consolation try, converted by MacGinty before hailstones briefly intervened, but Exeter resumed normal service through their dominant forwards and substitute Moon’s score confirmed a five-point maximum.

And there was still time for Nowell to squeeze his way through a pile of bodies and collect Exeter’s fourth try of a dominant second-half display.