The Kiwi team have triumphed at the last two events, held in Wellington and Sydney, and picked up from where they had left off by securing a commanding 42-7 victory over Portugal in their opening match.

A comfortable 38-0 triumph over Russia in their second match put them on the brink of a quarter-final place, with their progression sealed after Kenya recorded a victory by the same scoreline against Portugal, having beaten Russia 24-21 earlier.

Kenya and New Zealand will meet tomorrow to decide the pool winners, with the victors due to face the runners-up in Pool D.

Currently that position is occupied by the host nation, as the United States recorded a 19-12 victory over Wales, before being held by Canada in a 26-all thriller.

Top spot, though, is occupied by South Africa, who welcomed back 2007 Rugby World Cup winner Bryan Habana after a 12-year absence from the sevens format.

The 32-year-old showed his blistering pace to score his first try in a 33-7 victory over Canada, but his team-mate Seabelo Senatla stole the show by claiming a hat-trick in a 36-7 demolition over Wales, booking his team a quarter-final spot.

Another Rugby World Cup star looking to boost his chances of selection for Rio 2016 is Quade Cooper, and the Australian helped his team to a 26-0 win over Scotland in Group B, before sealing a 35-5 triumph against Japan.

Australia’s victories assured them of a place in the last eight, with Scotland looking best placed to join them after beating England 24-14.

Defending Las Vegas champions Fiji fell to a surprise 28-24 defeat to Samoa in their opening Group C match to put their hopes of progression at risk, but hit back to beat France 42-12.

They will meet Argentina in their final pool match, with their opponents currently topping the standings after recording a 26-7 triumph over France and a 25-12 win over Samoa.

With Fiji and Samoa both having a victory to their credit, Argentina are not yet assured of a place in the quarter-finals.