Zimbabwe won all three of their matches today ©Rugby Africa

Tournament favourites Kenya and defending champions Zimbabwe both went unbeaten on the opening day of the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens in Johannesburg, recording three wins out of three at the qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Kenya started their campaign at the South African city's Bosman Stadium with a 36-7 win over Ivory Coast.

The Kenyan side then thrashed Senegal 50-0 and Namibia 33-0.

Zimbabwe began their title defence with a 24-21 victory over Nigeria.

They then beat Nigeria again, this time by a scoreline of 47-0, before overcoming Zambia 19-7.

Mauritius’ hopes of reaching Tokyo 2020 ended as they succumbed to defeats to Ghana, 43-12, and Morocco, 24-19, having started the competition with a 57-0 loss to Uganda.

Ivory Coast produced the shock of the day when they beat a much-fancied Tunisia side 26-5.

They also triumphed 42-15 in their clash with Botswana.

Action in Johannesburg is due to conclude tomorrow.

The winner of the event qualifies directly for Tokyo 2020.

Teams who finish second and third will be given a place at the final Olympic qualifying tournament, set to be held in June next year.