Action began today at the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series event in Langford in Canada ©World Rugby

Defending champions New Zealand were one of three teams to reach the quarter-finals with an unbeaten record as action began today at the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series event in Langford in Canada. 

The Black Ferns Sevens topped Pool A by winning all three of their matches at Westhills Stadium, starting with an emphatic 51-0 victory over invitational team Brazil.

Seven players scored their nine tries against the South Americans with Michaela Blyde and Niall Williams each bagging a brace.

The margin of victory was a record.

New Zealand then set-up a Pool A decider with Fiji with a 22-0 defeat of England.

Blyde scored another double, either side of tries for Tyla Nathan-Wong and Williams.

The decider was the final match of the day and saw Fiji open the scoring after Luisa Basei Tisolo burst through the defence and combined with Tima Ravia before receiving the return pass for a brilliant try.

New Zealand hit back, though, when they whipped the ball wide for Williams to score and she then fended off tackles to release Blyde for a 70-metre run-in for what turned out to be the winning try in a 12-7 win.

Awaiting New Zealand in the last eight are England, who progressed from Pool A as the second-best third-placed team.

The two other nations ending today’s action unbeaten were France and Australia, the winners of Pool B and Pool C respectively.

France, fresh off the back of their first-ever Cup final appearance in Japanese city Kitakyushu last month, beat Japan 33-7 before defeating the United States 22-19 and Russia 45-0.

Series leaders Australia, meanwhile, overcame hosts Canada 22-7 and then went onto beat Ireland 31-19 and Spain, who they had lost to in pool play in Kitakyushu, 43-10.

France will next face Ireland, the best third-placed team, while Olympic champions Australia go up against Pool A runners-up Fiji in a repeat of their last-eight encounter in Kitakyushu.

The one other quarter-final pits Pool B runners-up the US against Pool C's second-place finishers Canada.  

In the Challenge Trophy semi-finals, Japan will meet Brazil, buoyed by their 24-7 victory over Russia, their first in series history in what was the ninth meeting between the sides.

Russia are pitted against Spain in the other last-four clash.