It now sets up a top-of-the-table clash between the two leading sides when the men from Devon visit the Old Bath Road ground this Saturday (2pm ko).

Guttridge, who notched two tries before the interval and one immediately after the break, revelled in Rams’ superiority, as did his teammates who rarely let their visitors into the home 22.

But a modest Guttridge said: “It was quite easy when you’ve got a pack like that, so they were tries for the forwards really.

“I didn’t have much to do, but I get the plaudits.

“We were clinical when we got in the red zone, we weren’t messing around or dropping the ball or trying to do silly things.” Greeted on to the pitch with a flag-waving tunnel of the club’s minis section, Rams dominated the opening stages and went in front when Somerset referee Carl Bennett awarded a penalty try when a Quins forward deliberately played a ball in an offside position to prevent Rams from scoring.

Scrum-half James Brooks converted but missed with a penalty attempt soon after which hit the side of the upright.

With lock Tom Bryson forced off with a calf injury, Rams sent on Ian Jeffreys as replacement.

Bryson immediately won a line-out that led to a penalty for offside which Brooks banged over for a 10-0 lead.

With the game turning tetchy and with Rams tight-head prop James Baker sin-binned for a dump tackle, the hosts still managed to increase their lead.

It followed a good line-out take from grafting lock James Hughes and a great drive from the forwards that finally saw Guttridge bury his way over, only for Brooks’ conversion to hit the upright again.

On the stroke of half-time Guttridge grabbed his second score as the Rams pack drove the visitors in the tight, and a huge shove saw Guttridge power over for Brooks to add the extras for a 22-0 lead at the break.

It was fitting then, that Guttridge should secure the bonus-point try and his hat-trick seven minutes after the restart.

Rams’ power in the tight again proved decisive as they once more drove the Quins back over their own line and Guttridge made no mistake.

Although Brooks put his conversion to the right of the posts, Rams lead 27-0 and were in total command.

They were far too savvy for the Quins and, with their pack on top, they had carved out four more tries by the final whistle.

First a Hughes line-out take was powered on by Guttridge before the ball was swept out through Brooks and fly-half Luke Flower to send centre David Massey over on the right, Brooks converting.

Then a surging run from wing Olly Poole saw the ball quickly recycled for his opposite number Gavin Dampies to race over for a try on his debut.

Brooks converted only to be replaced by Will Clark who was immediately involved in the seventh try.

From an Andy Amor line-out take, Clark helped the ball speed out to Poole who brushed aside a number of defenders before dabbing down for Flower to add the conversion and a 46-0 lead.

Although the battling visitors did manage to break their duck with a consolation try from full-back Jack Avery, Rams applied the coup de grace in the final minutes as a five metre drive from the pack was finished off by Jeffreys, with Flowers’ successful conversion ending the match.

Amor beamed: “It was a great result. We showed our forward dominance for the first 30 or 40 minutes and that really gave us the platform to play a little more open in the later stages.

“It was close to a complete performance and, in the last two games, we’ve scored over 50 points each time and we want to build on that for next week and another home game against Brixham which will be a really tough one.”