Appearing for the first time at the tournament, the All Blacks warned up for the start of the defence of their Sevens World Series in Gold Coast next week by registering a combined score of 125 points to 12 across their three Pool A matches.

Gordon Tietjens' side trounced Niue 57-7 and followed up with a 48-0 win over Papua New Guinea and a 20-5 victory over American Samoa.

"It's always pleasing to start a tournament well," said Tietjens, who will be keen to banish the memory of losing their Commonwealth Games crown to South Africa in Glasgow during the summer.

"It's been a good experience for the new young guys and we've got four or five newcomers out there.

"They're playing for contracts, they want to be in this team and there are spots open for the Sevens World Series tournament in the Gold Coast.

"This is an ideal tournament for us.

"Obviously we've been in training for some time but you really need a tournament in you before you hit the road for the World Series."

Gordon Tietjens is pleased with his side's performance in Noosa as they prepare for the Sevens World Series opener in Gold Coast ©AFP/Getty Images




A win over Niue and a 12-12 draw with Papua New Guinea was enough to see American Samoa finish as Pool A runners-up, while Papua New Guinea also made it through to the quarter-finals as one of two third-placed teams with a 33-5 win over Niue.

Hosts Australia despatched Tonga 21-0 in their first outing, before going on to defeat New Caledonia 40-7 and defending champions Samoa 26-12 to top Pool C.

Samoa's wins over New Caledonia and Tonga saw them take the runners-up spot, while the Tongans scraped through as the second best third-placed side with a 24-12 win over New Caledonia.

Despite fielding a squad that features none of the players that will be competing in Gold Coast next week, Fiji cruised through Pool B without conceding a single point.

Ben Ryan's side put 64 points on the board against Tahiti, followed by 36 against the Solomon Islands and 34 against the Cook Islands.

"These guys were unlucky not to be picked for Gold Coast," explained Ryan.

"If they carry on playing like that I may have some sleepless nights ahead of me.

"We didn't concede a point today and it shows how much depth we presently have."

Fiji join New Zealand and Australia with three wins from three on the first day in Noosa ©AFP/Getty Images



Victories over the Solomon Islands and Tahiti were enough for the Cook Islands to progress as runners-up.

They will take on Samoa, while Fiji are up against Tonga in tomorrow's quarter-finals which will also see New Zealand face Papua New Guinea once again, while Australia take on American Samoa.

As non-core teams for the 2014-2015 Sevens World Series the Cook Islands, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Tonga have the opportunity to battle it out on day two to qualify for the Hong Kong and Wellington Sevens tournaments in 2015.

The best placed of these sides will play at both tournaments, while the second-best side will qualify for Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, in the seven-team women's tournament, the opening day's fixtures saw New Zealand's women repeat the efforts of their male compatriots by finishing the day unbeaten with a 19-17 win over main rivals Australia following victories over the Cook Islands and Fiji.

The Aussies had earlier defeated Tonga and Fiji also, while Samoa recorded wins over Tonga, the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea.

The rest of the pool matches will be completed tomorrow with the top two sides progressing straight to the final.

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