Bermuda XV 25 Lloyds 31

One of the most entertaining games on the first day of the Rugby Classic didn't involve the All Blacks, the Australians, the French or South Africans.

While most people were still eating their Sunday lunch, and availing themselves of the corporate hospitality on offer, Bermuda and Lloyds RFC were getting the tournament underway on the field.

And while the end result is not exactly what the occasion called for, Bermuda produced a performance that certainly lived up to the traditions of the classic.

Only some ill-discipline and a lack of cohesion at certain crucial times came between the home side and a win. Which is not to take anything away from Lloyds, who fully contributed to a highly entertaining affair.

The visitors took the lead when Elliot Freer sliced through the Bermuda side and looked to have crossed in the corner, only to be hauled down by Tom Healey at the last minute. Healey's tackle, however, was deemed high and the referee awarded a penalty try.

Lloyds went further ahead through a converted Matthew Fitzgerald score, and the tries, either side of a Bermuda penalty gave the visitors a 12-3 lead.

The home side cut the defecit to just two points moments before the break when David Pringle went in under the posts and in the second half the game really opened up.

The two teams traded scores with Tom Edwards scoring the try of the game after Bermuda had broken from their own 22. An Ian Henderson penalty took Bermuda back to 18-19.

Duncan Heywood looked to have scored the game's winning try, which he then converted to make the score 18-26. But Bermuda hit back once more through Edwards and with four minutes left were just a point behind at 25-26.

The comeback was cruelly snuffed out moments later when James Cowen sneaked in, in the corner almost from the re-start, and try as they might Bermuda couldn't quite close the gap.