Fijians from all creeds are celebrating. Photo / Getty Images
With political solutions hitting a large roadblock it seems rugby could be the true unifying force in Fiji.
According to Fiji's players, the partying has continued in the islands since last Sunday's 38-34 victory over Wales, a win which put them into the quarter-finals of a World Cup
for the first time since 1987.
That was the year Sitiveni Rabuka launched Fiji's first coup d'etat. There have been three more, the last coming in December last year. Since then Fiji has effectively been under the military command of Frank Bainimarama.
There has not been much for Fijians to celebrate in the intervening months but they are in party mode now and the best thing, according to Isoa Domolailai, is that everyone is invited.
"With the situation we've got back home, the crisis, this is going to help bring the people back together as one," the 24-year-old lock said.
Fiji has been split largely along racial and religious lines. Indigenous Fijians generally belong to the Methodist church while Fijian Indians are predominantly Hindu. At the moment, however, everyone is a Fijian rugby fan.
"I called back home and they tell me everyone has been driving around beeping their horns and throwing firecrackers," Domolailai, who plays his rugby in France, said.
The Sigatoka-born former Northland player said the team felt under extra pressure to perform, knowing a good tournament would ease the burdens of those struggling at home.
"We knew it would bring back unity to our people. It doesn't matter what race or religion you go from. This month we're as one - a big, happy family.
"Rugby is a unifying force, yes," he continued. "The success of our sevens team and now us has had a big impact on the people of Fiji."
The coup has had a costly impact on sport in Fiji. While the sevens team was allowed to enter New Zealand for the Wellington Sevens, the Government made it clear they would rather they weren't.
Fiji also lost the rights to host the World Netball Championships, costing it millions in expected income from teams and spectators. The event was switched to Auckland.
