Fiji won the Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s Festival for the first time after a second pulsating day of spectacular sevens action in the sunshine at Murrayfield.

The Pacific Islanders thus finished runners-up in the IRB World Series – pitting the victors in that eight event contest, South Africa, 20-19, in an epic final, watched by a crowd of more than 11,000.

That match was a microcosm of the sheer exuberance, stamina and extraordinary skill level which had characterised the entire event and, it has to be noted, the performance of Scotland was a major factor in setting that tone.

Cheered on by the substantial contingent of Fijians – many of them army families based at Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh – Fiji reached the final, courtesy of victories against New Zealand and Wales.

South Africa’s passage to the final saw them account for Australia in the quarter-final and then eclipse Scotland 26-21 in sudden death extra-time after a truly titanic tussle.

In the final Fiji opened the scoring with a try by their captain Emosi Vucago, who followed up his own carefully flighted kick-ahead to touch down.