Follow the action from day one of the Hamilton Sevens.

When are the New Zealand team in action?

All Blacks Sevens: beat Tonga 45-0; v Australia at 2:06pm; v Great Britain at 7:35pm.

Black Ferns Sevens: beat Papua New Guinea 56-0; v Fiji at 3:12pm; v Great Britain at 8:03pm.

2:32pm - All Blacks Sevens fend off Australia

The All Blacks Sevens needed all 14 minutes of their contest against Australia to secure a 21-19 win, with Australia twice taking the lead, forcing the Kiwis to fight back.

It was the New Zealanders who opened the scoring through Joe Webber, but after tries to Maurice Longbottom and a counter-attack strike from James Turner, the Australians held the advantage at the break.

The All Blacks Sevens took the lead back soon after the restart through Akuila Rokolisoa, but with the sides then trading tries, it was ultimately the boot of Rokolisoa that made the difference - his one successful conversion more than the Australians all that separated the sides when the final whistle blew.

1:45pm - The tournament’s first big upset

The current leaders on the men’s World Series standings have been upset in their second group match of the weekend, being outclassed by France 21-10.

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Strong defence and a quick counter-attack saw the French side get one over on the Samoans, setting up a big final clash of the day for the current world No 1 against Fiji. Fiji have already secured a top-two finish in the group with wins over France and Kenya. It will come down to that final match of the pool with both France and Samoa a chance for a top-two finish, although France have the much friendlier draw.

In a lesser upset, World No 15 Japan beat 11th-ranked Uruguay 24-19 for their first win of the tournament.

France were too good for Samoa in their second match of pool play. Photo / Photosport

Regan Ware - “I didn’t think I’d be good enough”

After taking to the field for his 50th tournament on the World Series in the All Blacks Sevens’ opening win over Tonga, Regan Ware admitted he had doubts about the longevity of his time with the national team.

The 28-year-old from Tokoroa made his debut in the World Series in 2015, and has since become a constant fixture of the New Zealand outfit.

Both he and Joe Webber are playing in their 50th tournament this weekend, and Ware said it was a milestone he was grateful to be able to achieve.

“It’s pretty crazy to think,” Ware said. “When I first started, I didn’t think I’d be able to stick around for 50 tournaments. I didn’t think I’d be good enough to stay around that long.

“It’s special that I get to spend this milestone with my family. It was awesome to be able to, after that first game and I’d achieved the milestone, just go out and see my kids in the crowd.”

Stacey Fluhler - “It’s been tough”

One of several members of the Black Ferns Sevens who has had to reintegrate themselves back into the environment after focusing on the 15-a-side game, Stacey Fluhler says it has been tough reverting back to the shorter format.

Fluhler, who has recently worked her way back from injury, scored three tries in the Black Ferns Sevens’ opening match in Hamilton this weekend as her side toppled Papua New Guinea 56-0, but says it was a good reminder of how taxing the seven-a-side game is.

“I was gassed,” he said after the match. “I’m so happy to be back.

“It’s been tough for me coming back from injury; my road back was slightly different to some of the other girls. I started with some recovery running and managed to join the team a couple of weeks ago for full contact.

“They say rugby’s just one sport, but I definitely feel there’s some differences between (sevens and) 15s.”

Fluhler says for a team who often start slow, it was good for them to get on the board within the opening seconds of their win over Papua New Guinea.

They will face a tougher task against Fiji (3:12pm) and Great Britain (8:03pm) later in the day, particularly given the crowd is likely to favour the Fijian side in that contest.

“There’s a sea of blue; it feels a bit like we’re in Fiji at the moment, but we know that. We know Hamilton always has a good crew of Fijian supporters, but we’ll pretend they’re all going for us and cheering for New Zealand.”

1:00pm - Fiji, Australia survive

Fiji and Australia were able to overcome tough challenges in against Great Britain and Japan respectively to open their campaigns in Hamilton.

Tied for No 1 in the standings with the Black Ferns Sevens, Australia found themselves behind early against the No 10-ranked Japanese squad before a late surge saw them claim a 26-14 win.

Fiji fought off a strong challenge from Great Britain in what was an enthralling contest, a late try to Adi vani Buleki making the difference in a 19-14 win.

12:03pm - Black Ferns Sevens put 56 on the board in first match

The Black Ferns Sevens have started their campaign without Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, with the star kept on the sidelines for their 56-0 first-round win against Papua New Guinea.

Woodman-Wickliffe, one of several players returning to the team after fronting for the Black Ferns in their World Cup campaign last year, was left off the team sheet for the opening match and watched on from the stands as her team ran rampant on the Papua New Guinea side.

It was Michaela Blyde who bagged the first try of the match inside the opening minute, as the Black Ferns Sevens stretched their opponents early. They were able to do this time and again with ease; Stacey Fluhler bagging a hat-trick, Blyde and Sarah Hirini both putting two on the board, and Shiray Kaka, Alena Saili, Jorja Miller also getting on the score sheet.

11:20am - We have a draw!

The French and Canadian Women’s teams have opened their campaign with a 12-12 draw; the Canadians with an impressive performance against the current No 4 team in the standings.

It was a surprise result in an otherwise expected slew of opening fixtures in the women’s draw, with USA (v Spain) and Ireland (v Brazil) claiming big wins.

10:35am - All Blacks Sevens impress in opener

The All Blacks Sevens toppled Tonga 45-0 in their opening match of the tournament, needing just 38 seconds to get the scoreboard ticking over.

Moses Leo was the first on the scoreboard, dotting down after a long run on the left wing. Tries to Regan Ware and Joe Webber extended the lead to 19-0 at the break, but Leo’s match was brought to an early end on the stroke of half time as he took a knock to the head while playing the ball and took two attempts to stay upright as he tried to get back to his feet. He was taken off the pitch for a head injury assessment but did not return.

It was more of the same for the Kiwis following the restart, with Roderick Solo and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black crossing early in the half. The scoring continued to be shared around when Brady Rush scored, before McGarvey-Black claimed his second try of the match on the full time siren.

It was an impressive showing from the event’s defending champions, as they look to cap off their final event on home soil in memorable fashion.

Argentina (v Spain), Ireland (v Uruguay), Samoa (v Kenya) and USA (v Japan) also claimed opening-round wins.

9:50am - Fiji start with big win

The Fijian men’s side were too good for France in their first match of the tournament, claiming a 26-10 win. It wasn’t the most consistent performance from the perennial contenders and the French showed their own abilities - particularly in their speed as they often chased down what looked to be breakaway tries for the Fijian side.

Ultimately though the skill of the Fijian side came up trumps as they were patient in possession and created some good tries.

9:40am - The men’s tournament kicks things off, with South Africa making an early statement in a 34-5 win over Canada.

This year will be just the second time the New Zealand stop has featured a full women’s tournament as well as the men’s event, with two fields being in use to accommodate the schedule of nearly 80 games across the weekend.

9:30am - The World Rugby Sevens Series has come to Hamilton for one last time before a reinvention of the tournament in the 2023-24 season will see fewer stops and, subsequently, no New Zealand dates on the calendar.

What a bright note to kick things off on, eh?

It’s a lovely day out at Waikato Stadium, though it is heating up very, very quickly. The stands are filling up nicely, with the familiar sky blue of the Fijian supporters everywhere you look.