Fijian rugby union hooker Cyrille Cama, aged 23, is on the verge of his international debut with the USA Eagles in this year’s revamped Pacific Nations Cup (PNC). He is among six uncapped players in the US team striving for a top placement as the tournament begins on Friday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, featuring a match between Fiji and Manu Samoa.
The USA Eagles will face Japan on Saturday, August 31, at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. Cama, who hails from Natokalau in Bua and has maternal ties to Bureta in Ovalau, has a rugby background that began at St Agnes Primary School in Nabua, where he served as captain for two years as a linebacker before relocating with his family to Los Angeles in 2013.
Two years ago, he signed a two-year contract with the LA Giltinis, the major league champions, and was selected for the USA Eagles Under-20s team. Cama further advanced through the High-Performance Program, participating in the Rhinos Tens professional team for the World Tens Series in Bermuda in 2020. He also played for the Rhinos Rugby Academy in Sacramento alongside notable African sevens players.
Cama is the first product of the Rhinos Academy and High-Performance Program to earn a spot on the USA Eagles roster.
World Rugby recently revealed that the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup will act as a qualifying event for Rugby World Cup 2027, making this year’s inaugural tournament a crucial step for expanding the USA’s player pool ahead of next year’s qualification process. Both Fiji and Japan have already secured their places for RWC 2027.
USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence highlighted the significance of the five-week PNC campaign, stating it would help prepare the team for the challenges of test match rugby. “With new faces comes new energy. We’re expecting this group to enter camp with a competitive mindset focused on gaining valuable test match experience,” he mentioned.
Cama’s mother, Marjorie Cama, praised her son’s journey, calling it a testament to human kindness and divine support. “It’s a blessing because it was always his dream to play rugby. As they say, America is the land of great opportunities, where the sky is the limit,” she expressed.
This year’s PNC introduces a round-robin format featuring two pools and a Grand Final to determine the champions. Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga will compete in Pool A, while Canada, Japan, and the USA make up Pool B. Each team will play one home and one away match in the pool stage.
The tournament also includes a finals series, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the semi-finals. The winners will compete in the final, while the losing teams will play for third place. Teams finishing last in their pools will vie for fifth place on the same day as the first semi-final, which is scheduled for September 14, with the second semi-final following the next day.
The finals will be held in Tokyo and Osaka, with Japan and the USA alternating hosting duties annually.