Having waited more than 500 days for league action, the visitors produced a stunning early display to race into a 34-7 lead, before brave Cambridge secured two bonus-points of their own with three converted late tries.

Despite the home side missing a kickable early penalty, Rams gradually gained control in the first quarter and took a deserved lead on 17 minutes, Ollie Cole taking a quick tap penalty to put his side on the front foot before off-loading to Jamie Guttridge.

The blind-side flanker then found his back-row comrade Tom Vooght who went over, Drew Humberstone converting to make it 7-0.

A second score arrived on the half-hour mark as Humberstone’s cross-kick was caught by Henry Bird, the flying winger then scorching clear before being halted just short of the line.
However, after a couple of phases, Guttridge blasted over for his side’s second score.

After the hosts lost lock Gareth Baxter to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on in his own 22, things got even better for Rams in injury-time as Bird and Kieran Leicester combined to set-up Vooght for his second and his 14th in his last 15 appearance.

Cambridge responded superbly at the start of the second period, but some magnificent Rams defence held them at bay before a scintillating counter-attack ended with Leicester crossing the whitewash for the bonus-point score, Humberstone adding the extras to make it 24-0.

The hosts finally made their breakthrough on 56 minutes when a grubber kick was collected by outside centre Matt Hema to dot down, Joe Tarrant slotting the conversion.

Yet Rams rallied with a two-try salvo around the hour mark, Hayhow firstly collecting another Humberstone cross-kick and showing power to cross the line, before a fabulous inter-play ended with Ellis Jones off-loading to Bird who raced clear to cross on the right.

Leading 34-7, the visitors rang the changes and with a sense of déjà vu from the 2019/20 opener, Cambridge rallied magnificently in the final quarter.

Hema grabbed his second from close range and as normal time ticked down, Cambridge made it three when a slick backs move was finished off from close range by substitute Jake McCloud.

And they gained two bonus-points with the final play of the afternoon when hooker Ben Brownlie powered over, Tarrant maintaining his fine run from the tee by slotting his fourth conversion.

Rams play their first home game of the season against Tonbridge Juddians next Saturday (3pm).