Defending champions New Zealand strode past Scotland as the Hong Kong Sevens kicked off on Friday evening, with competition fierce for an Olympic place.
The All Blacks took a 26-7 victory in front of a packed Hong Kong Stadium in their first match of the three-day rugby tournament.
There were no surprises as Fiji, placed third in the Sevens World Series standings, beat Samoa 38-12 and fourth-ranked Australia took Portugal 33-5.
England, currently fifth in the series standings, saw off Wales 26-19.
“To finish with a score like that against a side like Portugal is very pleasing,” said Australia coach Geraint John.
“They have the ability to upset teams and they did exceptionally well in Las Vegas.
“I was a bit disappointed with the amount of penalties we gave away in the first half but we showed a lot more composure in the second. Now we have to recover and rest for what will be a very tough game against Scotland tomorrow afternoon.”
New Zealand currently lie second in the Sevens World Series standings behind South Africa, who trounced Argentina 24-0 in their first game.
“There were a few errors so obviously a lot to work on for tomorrow, but so far so good,” said New Zealand captain DJ Forbes, who led the team to glory last year and scored the first try Friday.
The All Blacks will meet Australia in a group stage match on Saturday evening, but Forbes said the team would concentrate on getting past Portugal first in an afternoon tie.
“In Hong Kong and sevens in general, any team on any day can spoil the party… but definitely Australia will be in the back of our minds,” Forbes said.
Rugby sevens will for the first time feature at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year, with the top four teams at the end of the Sevens World Series securing a berth in Brazil.
Forbes was philosophical about the Olympic challenge.
“We don’t want to get too overwhelmed by the Olympics — we’ve still got to try to win the World Series,” he said.
The best match Friday night was Kenya-USA with ex-sprinter Carlin Isles — dubbed “the fastest man in rugby” — helping the American side recover from a 14-0 half-time deficit to win 21-14.
The group stages finish Saturday with the final on Sunday night.
The Hong Kong Sevens — which is celebrating its 40th edition this year — is the sixth of the nine tournaments in the series. The final meet is in London in May.
