Karalaina Naisewa crashed under the posts in the 79th minute to score a try which gave Fiji a thrilling 21-17 win over South Africa in Group C, their first World Cup victory.
Moments earlier, first-five Libbie Janse van Rensburg had kicked a penalty which broke a 14-14 deadlock which had lasted 21 minutes and seemed to clinch a South African victory.
But Fiji surged onto attack from the kickoff and Naisewa moved through the South Africa defence close to the line to give Fiji a win in only their second World Cup match.
There was immediate jubilation among the crowd which was overwhelmingly made up of Fiji supporters and who recognised the significance of the moment. Fiji had overcome a mountain of obstacles just to be at the World Cup and the victory was a triumphant occasion, giving the Pacific Island nation a chance of still making the quarter-finals.
The Fiji women were trampled 84-19 by England in the first round of the tournament but the defeat didn't make a dent in their spirit.
"It means the world," said Fiji's Siteri Rasolea who was the star of the match for her powerful carries. "There are a lot of girls who have made a lot of sacrifices to be here today.
"I'm just so glad that we held it together for each other. We had a few girls who went down [with injuries] but our captain just said we had to play for everyone who's on the pitch and who didn't make the team this week."
- AP