A much improved Bermuda men's rugby team lost 18-10 to Cayman Islands in a Rugby Americas North encounter in George Town on Friday night.

Brian Archibald’s side matched Cayman’s physicality for most of the match in a better display than when they lost 44-12 at National Sports Centre last May.

The home team scored two tries, one conversion and penalty goal to secure the win at Truman Bodden Sports Complex and Bermuda got their points from a converted try and a penalty.

Fly half Harry Clark drew first blood for Cayman nine minutes into the match when he kicked three points but a try from flanker Khabir Dill and conversion by Ja'kee Simons put Bermuda 7-3 in front.

Cayman took an 8-7 lead heading into the break courtesy ofTommy Kehoe’s try before the conversion bounced off the posts.

At the start of the second half, Bermuda’s try scorer Dill was shown a yellow card and sent to the sin bin for a ten-minute suspension, during which Clark added his second penalty of the night for Cayman to lead 11-7.

Even with a man down the Bermudians refused to back down as they reduced the deficit with a Hadleigh Tucker penalty.

But a loose pass from Bermuda in their own 22 was pounced on by Michael Wilson, who went over the line for Edward Westin to add the extras with a successful conversion.

Just as Bermuda were looking to mount a fightback in the dying minutes of the match, Greenville Lines was shown a red card for punching an opposing player.

Bermuda women also impressed in a 47-37 loss to their Cayman counterparts in a ten-a-side match. It was the first time that the team, under the mentorship of Alvin Harvey and Deneka Borden, had played in this format at international level.

The island’s huge contingent also included the under-12 and under-14 boys as well as the under-14 girls.