Wales stormed into the Cup quarter-finals of the George Sevens with a 100 percent record but Dubai champions England were forced to settle for second place in their pool behind New Zealand.
The Welsh kicked off their assault on Pool A with an impressive 33-15 victory over Australia before battling their way to a 19-7 win over Celtic rivals Scotland. The world champions then secured top spot by defeating the French 29-12 in their final fixture of the day, with Aaron Shingler the star of the show after helping himself to four tries.
Fresh from their sensational victory in the United Arab Emirates last weekend, England kicked off their campaign with a 19-5 win over Russia before seeing off Kenya 21-5 to set up a mouth-watering showdown with New Zealand, who won his event last year.
England stunned the Kiwis in the Cup semi-finals last weekend but Ben Ryan's men came off a clear second best this time around. Tries from Declan O'Donnell and Frank Halai put New Zealand firmly in control at the break and although England pulled one back through Dan Norton in the early stages of the second period, the All Blacks sealed a commanding win with further touchdowns from DJ Forbes and Jackson Ormond.
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Scots were forced to settle for third place in Pool A. They had opened with a win over France but after losing to the Welsh, the Scots went into their final fixture against the Wallabies needing a win to secure a berth in the last eight of the Cup. However, they came out on the wrong end of a 21-7 scoreline and will now compete in the Bowl instead.
Meanwhile, dramatic late tries from Josefa Bole and Seremaia Burotu earned Fiji a 14-14 draw in their Pool B decider against IRB Sevens World Series titleholders Samoa, thus enabling the Fijians to pip their Polynesian rivals to top spot. The final game of day 1 was also crucial, with hosts South Africa routing Argentina 29-5 to emulate Wales and New Zealand in progressing to the knockout stages with a 100 percent winning record.
Cup quarter finals:
Wales v Samoa
South Africa v England
New Zealand v Argentina
Fiji v Australia
Bowl quarter finals:
Scotland v Namibia
Portugal v Kenya
Russia v Zimbabwe
USA v France