Fijian-born rugby union hooker Cyrille Cama, 23, is nearing his international debut with the USA Eagles in the rebranded Pacific Nations Cup. He is among six uncapped players on the USA Eagles roster as they aim for a strong performance in the tournament, which begins Friday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, where Fiji will face Manu Samoa.
The USA Eagles will play against Japan on Saturday, August 31, at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. Cama hails from Natokalau, Kubulau, in Bua, and has maternal ties to Bureta in Ovalau. He played rugby at St Agnes Primary School in Nabua, serving as captain for two years before relocating to Los Angeles with his family in 2013.
Cama signed a two-year contract with the Major League Rugby champions, LA Giltinis, and was part of the USA Eagles Under-20 selection. He further advanced to the High-Performance Programme and played for the Rhinos Tens professional team during the World Tens Series in Bermuda in 2020. Cama also trained at the Rhinos Rugby Academy in Sacramento alongside prominent African sevens players.
He is the first athlete from the Rhinos Academy and High-Performance Unit to earn a spot on the USA Eagles team.
World Rugby recently declared that the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup will be crucial for qualification for Rugby World Cup 2027, making this year’s tournament an important step for the USA’s player development ahead of next year’s qualification bid. Fiji and Japan have already secured their spots for RWC 2027.
USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence commented on the tournament, stating that the five-week competition will help the team prepare for the intensity of test match rugby. He expressed his anticipation for the new players to bring fresh energy and a competitive spirit to the squad.
Cama’s mother, Marjorie Cama, reflected on her son’s journey as one of blessings, highlighting the support from the academy and professional resources that have contributed to his development. She emphasized the significance of this achievement in realizing Cyrille’s dream of playing rugby in America, a place she described as “the land of great things.”
This year’s Pacific Nations Cup features a new round-robin format with two pools and a Grand Final to determine the champion. Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga comprise Pool A, while Canada, Japan, and the USA make up Pool B. Each team will compete in one home and one away match during the pool stage.
The tournament includes a finals series, allowing the top two teams from each pool to move on to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will face off in the final, while the losing teams will compete for third place. Teams finishing at the bottom of their pools will vie for fifth place in a playoff on the same day as the first semi-final, set for September 14. The finals will take place in Tokyo and Osaka, with Japan and the USA alternating hosting duties each year.