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SUVA - The troubled Pacific nation of Fiji erupted in national celebration Sunday with fireworks fizzing and car horns blaring after its rugby team scored a massive upset over Wales in the World Cup.
Cup fever has gripped the rugby-mad nation, where many people stayed up all night to watch the match at 3:00 am Fiji time Sunday.
When it ended in a thrilling 38-34 victory for the South Pacific country, where the military grabbed power in a coup last December, joyous fans set off fireworks and blasted car horns around the capital Suva.
"Before the game, people in the villages were flying flags outside their homes saying 'Go, Fiji Go', cars and taxis sported the national flag," Sports Minister Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi told AFP.
"Everyone was getting into the spirit of it."
The win, which came after Fiji scored a last-minute try in an exhilarating decider at the Stade de la Beaujoire in the French city of Nantes, took Fiji into the quarter-finals for the first time in 20 years.
Speaking in France, captain Mosese Rauluni said it was one of the country's greatest wins and its importance to his country could not be understated.
"One of the villages actually climbed a mountain with a generator and TV and watched it (the match) at the top of the mountain because they couldn't pick up the frequency in the village," he said from Nantes.
"That's the sort of thing we're playing for. It makes your voice go away and brings a tear to your eye."
Vayeshnoi described the win as an overnight marketing success for Fiji, whose economy has taken a dive since Laisenia Qarase's government was ousted in a military takeover last December.
"I like to keep sports and politics separate, but there's no doubt Fiji's performance is good publicity for the country," he told AFP.
Qarase, the deposed prime minister told AFP, from Suva that the win was temporary relief from living under the shadow of a military regime.
"It's one brief moment of happiness in a very difficult environment," Qarase said.
"Although Fiji is safe to visit, tourists coming here remain concerned about their safety and the ongoing instability under military rule," he said.
A former Fiji prime minister and prop for the national side between 1970 and 1977, Sitiveni Rabuka, said the team defended well and their discipline had improved.
"National morale is visibly up, people forgot about the political situation we are in and just enjoyed the win," Rabuka told AFP.
"I hope Fiji's success will lift the standard of rugby in the country and give our upcoming rugby players opportunities to play overseas.
"The cup's over in three weeks and it'll be back to reality. Whether our success has any impact on the country long term remains to be seen."
The last time Fiji reached the final eight was at the inaugural World Cup in 1987 in New Zealand, and they now face the might of South Africa next Sunday in Marseille.
- AFP
