The lack of national team rugby fixtures and unavailability of several key players had little effect on Bermuda's performance as they steamrolled to a 64-5 victory over visiting Halifax Tars on Sunday.

Andre Simons led the charge with four tries and a conversion in this one-sided and often zany spectacle.

But for Bermuda skipper Alvin Harvey's poor handling and Sean Field's missed tackle that let Halifax get on the scoresheet, the local team's showing was one of their better efforts.

Harvey, who was playing on the wing instead of his usual position at centre, fumbled the simplest of chances, having beaten his marker into the end zone.

An easy score turned into a missed opportunity as he dropped the ball after Declan O'Laughlin had committed opposing centre Doug Hartlen.

In the opening minutes, Bermuda and Halifax traded harsh tackles. Ali Nicoll, playing at number eight, bulldozed over scrum half Gary Woods but the Canadians repaid the compliment seconds later when Jeff Schimmel hammered Bermuda fly half O'Laughlin in midfield as he attempted to catch a highly flighted ball.

Bermuda went ahead after only five minutes through flanker Noel Capewell in his debut game for the national side, on a move begun when Sean Field took the ball to the blind side after a scrum. Phil Heaney missed the conversion but made up for this with two successful penalties within ten minutes.

Andre Simons added five more points and Heaney increased it even further with a conversion. Bermuda were now 18-0 ahead.

However, Halifax were able to set up a successful score minutes later through a piece of exceptional running from stand-off Jeff McLatchy who fed winger Danny O'Brien.

Field missed a chance to tackle O'Brien on the right and he slipped through for the visitors' only try.

After the interval, Dennis Cherry, also debuting in the national side, and Danny Cozens racked up a try apiece and Heaney and O'Laughlin added a conversion and a penalty each to take the score to 33-5.

Simons, capitalising on a miscue from Halifax scrum half Woods, scored a converted try which set the stage for the best try of the game.

Full back Alan Oliver, after a darting run in midfield, kicked the ball along the ground intended for Bermuda winger Pat Jones.

Jones, displaying sound tactical judgment and a little bit of soccer skill, managed to keep the ball inside with his left foot, round his marker and pounce on it for a score.

Simons added two more tries and a conversion, and Jones had a second try that Oliver converted.

"The game plan was to establish forward superiority,'' Bermuda national team coach Keiron Peacock said after the game.

"And we did it. We wanted to make sure we were dominating the second phase play.

"This was something I highlighted during the training session because a weakness in Bermudian rugby generally is our inability to keep the ball alive after the second phase.

"We worked on that in drills during training and we made that our priority today.'' Halifax take on Renegades today and Police on Thursday before leaving Bermuda on Friday.

Declan O'Laughlin