The Fijian Sevens rugby union team has stepped in to help a sick passenger and then serve food after the flight attendants were forced to deal with the medical emergency on board a flight.

The players were on board a flight to Brisbane from Fiji's capital of Nadi on Thursday when a passenger suffered a serious health scare, fellow passenger Ryan Fee told Daily Mail Australia.

When Virgin Australia flight attendants of VA176 informed fellow passengers that the woman was sick about 45 minutes into the flight, the team were the first to rush to their aid.

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The national Fijian rugby union team assisted flight attendants and a sick passenger during a four-hour long flight from Nadi to Brisbane on Thursday

Passenger Ryan Fee said half the Sevens team finished serving lunch to the passengers while the flight attendants attended to the sick woman

Mr Fee, from Brisbane, said the team's doctor and coach assisted the woman, while the players left their seats to serve food to fellow passengers to give the flight attendants some relief.

One of the players held the woman's oxygen mask for more than an hour, even as the plane was landing

The team mates had then taken the trays from the entire plane once the passengers finished their meals, and took rubbish bags to clean-up.

The flight attendants 'were a bit stressed out' until the Fijian team offered their assistance, Mr Fee said.

'I don't want to talk foully of them [the flight attendants] because they did a fantastic job.'

But the team had 'definitely helped take the pressure off' them.

One of the players even held the woman's oxygen mask above her for more than an hour, even as the plane landed.

'It was the complete personification of the Fijian people,' Mr Fee said, as they were 'completely selfless'.

'It was just beautiful.'

He said that although they were all six foot five tall and weigh around 150kg, the team are 'big teddy bears and would do anything for you'.

It's not known what illness had struck the woman, but Mr Fee said she had 'next to no blood pressure' and was 'passing in and out of consciousness'.

The Fijian team (pictured in June 2007 in Perth during a match against the Australian Wallabies) were heading to the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai for their December 4 game

He said that although the approximately 65-year-old appeared to be Fijian or Indian, the woman's skin was 'as white as the t-shirt' Mr Fee was wearing.

On Friday afternoon, the woman's nephew contacted Mr Fee to let him know she is doing much better today after the 'close call'.

She was travelling on the flight with her husband, children and grandchildren - who Mr Fee estimated were younger than five or six-years-old, and whom also needed to be calmed by the flight attendants.

Mr Fee said that two other passengers with medical training, an Australian nurse and Kiwi paramedic had assisted the sick woman.

The woman had fallen ill around 45 minutes into the four-hour flight, Mr Fee said. He added that the Virgin Australia (stock picture) flight attendants 'did a fantastic job' although they seemed 'stressed'

Once the plane landed after the four-hour journey, Mr Fee said all the passengers on-board began clapping for the team of union players and Virgin staff.

Instead of rushing to exit the plane like normal, everyone waiting on the flight for an extra 15 minutes to allow the woman and her family to exit the plane to receive medical attention on land.

'Not a soul moved,' he said, like the passengers had made an unspoken 'unanimous decision'.

'It was just a team effort for all involved.'

Newlywed Mr Fee was returning from a 10 day honeymoon in Fiji with wife Tiahne at the time.

Virgin Australia thanked the Fijian Sevens on Friday.

'We would like to thank those players for their kind gesture and efforts on board,' the Virgin Australisa spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'Not only were our crew appreciative of the support provided but they were also very impressed with the professional standard of the players’ work.

'We wish them the best of luck in the competition ahead,' the spokesperson said.

The Fijian team were heading to the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai for their December 4 game.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Fiji Rugby Union for comment.