Bermuda picked up where they left off two years ago, battering hosts the Bahamas 43-5 in their opening Caribbean Rugby Championship game at the Freeport Rugby Club yesterday.

Winners in 1996, Bermuda skipped the event last year to travel to Chile for a World Cup qualifier, but quickly served warning that they would be the team to beat this year with yesterday's impressive showing.

On a heavy, uneven pitch, Bermuda romped into a 12-0 half-time lead and added 31 more points after the break before allowing their opponents a consolation try in the dying minutes.

By that time Bermuda had introduced all of their substitutes.

Jonathan Cassidy, who the Bermuda Rugby Football Union flew over from college in the UK, and Rod Stewart both went over for two tries while Dave Lunn, Gareth Davies and Alvin Harvey scored one each.

Phil Heaney kicked four conversions.

Said BRFU president John Williams: "It was a very disciplined performance by Bermuda against very undisciplined opponents. In the end we simply overpowered them.

"Shane Gill, in his first Bermuda match, played superbly and young Cassidy also did extremely well.'' Next up are Jamaica, who were thrashed 60-5 by Trinidad yesterday.

Bermuda meet the Jamaicans on Thursday and then face what is expected to be their toughest match against Trinidad on Saturday.

"We've beaten Trinidad before, but obviously they're going to give us a very hard game,'' added Williams.