Bermuda produced a dazzling display to overcome Norwich University 19-5 to win the Bermuda International Sevens college division for the first time on Saturday.

The victory over Norwich concluded a magnificent two days for the local side, who won all six of their matches against United States colleges in the 11-team tournament at North Field.

In a repeat of the 2019 final, which Norwich won 10-5, the first few minutes were cagey with both sides cautious.

Against the run of play Bermuda drew first blood through Kabir Dill, who galloped from the halfway line to score a try under the posts. Hadleigh Tucker booted in the conversion to make it 7-0 going into the break.

Three minutes into the second half, Tucker scored the home side’s second try of the match, which he converted for a 14-0 lead.

Norwich refused to surrender with Kyle Krebs, the player of the tournament, forcing his way through for his team’s only try. Kris Wayton could not add the extra two points as his conversion went wide.

Lucas Nyamoto powered his way over the line for Bermuda’s third try of the match and Ja'kee Simons weighed in with the conversion.

D’zuri Gill, the Bermuda co-captain, who was ruled out of last year’s tournament by injury, attributed the team's success to the players working as a unit.

“It’s just great to win the tournament for the first time,” Gill told The Royal Gazette.

“We improved as the tournament progressed and went undefeated all the way. It was just good to stay together, we didn’t play as individuals and the better we connected, the better we performed.

“We played against Norwich on Friday night, it was a very physical game and it was our toughest in this tournament. It was just a treat to be able to play against them again in the final, and win again.”

Simons, the other Bermuda team leader, felt that they were rewarded for their diligence and sticking together.

“Being one of the captains for this tournament and getting our first win feels different,” he said.

“We played a lot of good opponents and it was a great weekend of rugby. Obviously fatigue started to settle in, but we kept going, working hard and we got the results.

“We’re looking to see if the team can develop going forward. That can only happen if we understand that we’re one and we work for each other.”

Bermuda coach Jonathan Cassidy is excited by what the future holds for the sevens version of the game on the island.

“Our players were absolutely fantastic,’’ the coach said. “All of the players should be very proud of what they accomplished together.

“All of them will be a part of our sevens programme for years to come and I am extremely excited about our potential. We are really grateful to the teams that chose to participate this weekend and we hope that they will return next year.

“I would also like to acknowledge and send an abundance of gratitude to Tom Healy, who founded this tournament. I wish he could have been here to see Bermuda win it for the first time.

“He did so much for Bermuda rugby and the sevens programme in particular. We have had much success and a lot of great memories over the years. This first tournament win at home, for me, is for him and everything he has done for Bermuda sevens.”

Bermuda Rugby Football Union president Gemma Godfrey was extremely pleased by the team’s success.

“I am absolutely delighted that Bermuda’s men’s team has won the Bermuda International Sevens for the first time,’’ she said.

“This victory has been a long time coming, with several close attempts over the years, and I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work, resilience, and dedication they’ve shown to finally claim the title. It’s a testament to their commitment and the continued growth of rugby in Bermuda.”

Krebs, the recipient of the Mark Dombroski award, praised Bermuda for being a better team on the two occasions the sides met in the tournament.

“I think we did a lot better against Bermuda on Friday but unfortunately we lost our captain Marius Edwards to injury and we were down a couple of players,” the tournament’s best player said.

“But they were a good team and I wouldn’t take anything away from them. We made a couple of mistakes and in the end the score reflected how the game went.”

Together with the high school boys, the women were not left out of the action, but as a result of a lack of foreign opposition for the Try Babies, Veteran Vixens came together to play against the up-and-coming stars.

Amanda Swan, who led the Vixens to victory in the two matches, indicated that they were happy to provide opposition to the girls.

“We had a lot of fun in the two matches,” the former Bermuda player said.

“We came out of retirement to give the younger players some game time. It was a good learning experience for them, so that they could see the difference between playing a game and training.

“It would have been good if the US universities had come down to give them more competition.”

As the first BRFU female leader, Godfrey spoke with passion about the chance for women and boys to showcase their skills in the tournament.

“It was also fantastic to see the continued development of our Bermuda women’s national team, as they prepare for their upcoming competition against Cayman Islands in June,” she said.

“Having some of our veteran players step up to provide opposition was a great moment for the programme.

“Additionally, the high school boys sevens competition on day one was an incredible showcase of young talent. The teams battled fiercely, splitting the first two matches before playing for the trophy, and it was inspiring to witness the passion and potential of Bermuda’s future rugby stars.”

Meanwhile, the Bermuda men’s fifteens rugby team got a chance to prepare for forthcoming international assignments with a friendly match against Boston Rugby Club on Sunday afternoon.