Fijian rugby union hooker Cyrille Cama, 23, is on the brink of his international debut with the USA Eagles in the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup. The tournament kicks off on Friday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, featuring a match between the Flying Fijians and Manu Samoa.
Cama is among six uncapped players in the USA Eagles squad vying for optimal placement in the restructured competition. Following their opening match, the USA Eagles will face Japan on Saturday, August 31, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles.
Born in Natokalau, Kubulau, Bua, and having maternal ties to Bureta in Ovalau, Cama began his rugby journey at St Agnes Primary School in Nabua. He played as a linebacker and served as captain for two years before moving to Los Angeles with his family in 2013. He signed a two-year contract with the major league champions, LA Giltinis, and was selected for the USA Eagles Under-20s team.
Cama progressed through the High-Performance Programme and participated in the Rhinos Tens professional team during the World Tens Series in Bermuda in 2020, where he played alongside African rugby stars. He is the first player from the Rhinos Academy and High-Performance Unit to earn a spot on the USA Eagles roster.
World Rugby has designated the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup as the qualifying tournament for Rugby World Cup 2027, making this inaugural event crucial for expanding the player’s pool for the USA. Fiji and Japan have already secured their spots for the 2027 tournament.
USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence commented on the team’s preparations, stating, “The five-week Pacific Nations Cup campaign offers an opportunity for this Eagles squad to adapt to the preparation and intensity needed for test match rugby. With new faces, we expect this group to come into camp with a competitive mindset aimed at gaining valuable test match experience.”
Cama’s mother, Marjorie, expressed her pride in her son’s journey, highlighting the support he received along the way. She emphasized that realizing his dream of playing rugby in America is a significant achievement.
This year’s Pacific Nations Cup features an innovative round-robin format consisting of two pools, culminating in a Grand Final to determine the overall champions. Pool A includes Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, while Pool B consists of Canada, Japan, and the USA. Each team will play one home and one away match during the pool stage.
A new finals series will take place, where the top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals, leading to a final match, with the losers competing for third place. The teams finishing at the bottom of their pools will play for fifth place on the same day as the first semi-final on September 14.
This year’s finals will be hosted in Tokyo and Osaka, with Japan and the USA alternating hosting duties annually.