New Zealand have finished the first day of the Vancouver Sevens unbeaten, finishing top of Pool C with wins over Kenya, Spain and Ireland.
Beating Kenya 29-0 and Spain 31-0, the All Blacks Sevens were made to work for their third and final victory on day one by Ireland.
After Akuila Rokolisoa opened the scoring, Ireland would hit back through Liam Turner, before taking the lead with a Jack Kelly try.
Caleb Clarke scored before the break to give the All Blacks Sevens a 14-12 lead at halftime.
The lead changed hands twice at the start of the second half with Jordan Conroy crossing before Kelly's second saw the underdogs take a 24-21 lead.
A full field effort from Vilimoni Koroi saw the Kiwis retake the lead, before Amanaki Nicole sealed the come-from-behind win as New Zealand came away with a 33-24 victory.
The result means the All Blacks Sevens finish top of Pool C, and will face the runner up of Pool B. As things stand, Fiji will loom as quarter-final opponents with the Olympic champions currently second to hosts Canada in Pool B, ahead of Wales on points differential.
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