Fijian-born rugby union hooker Cyrille Cama, 23, is on the brink of his international debut with the USA Eagles in this year’s restructured Pacific Nations Cup (PNC). As one of six uncapped players in the squad, Cama aims to help the USA achieve a top finish in the tournament starting Friday at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, where the Flying Fijians will face Manu Samoa.
The USA Eagles will meet Japan on Saturday, August 31, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. Cama hails from Natokalau, Kubulau, in Bua, and has family ties to Bureta in Ovalau. He began his rugby journey at St Agnes Primary School in Nabua, where he captained the team as a line-back.
Cama moved to Los Angeles in 2013, where he signed a two-year contract with Major League Rugby champions LA Giltinis. He also represented the USA Eagles Under-20s and progressed to the High-Performance Programme. In 2020, he was selected for the Rhinos Tens professional team for the World Tens Series in Bermuda and played alongside African sevens legends like Collins Injera, Andrew Amonde, and Cecil Africa. Cama represents the first player from the Rhinos Academy and High-Performance Programme to earn selection for the USA Eagles.
World Rugby has announced that the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup will function as a qualification event for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, making this year’s tournament crucial for expanding the USA’s player pool before next year’s qualification rounds. Fiji and Japan have already secured their spots for RWC 2027.
USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence emphasized that the five-week PNC campaign will offer vital exposure to the squad, aiming to build a competitive mindset for test match rugby. He noted, “With new faces comes new energy. We’re expecting this group to fire into camp with a competitive mindset toward winning valuable test match minutes.”
Cama’s mother, Marjorie Cama, expressed her pride, describing Cyrille’s journey as a blend of human kindness, generosity, and divine fate. She remarked on his dream to play rugby in America, reflecting on the opportunities available in the country.
This year marks the first time the PNC is held in a round-robin format with two pools, culminating in a Grand Final to determine the champion. Pool A consists of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, while Pool B includes Canada, Japan, and the USA. Each team will participate in one home and one away match during the pool stage.
A finals series will be held with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the semi-finals, while the losers will contest for third place. 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, with the second semi-final scheduled for September 15. This year’s finals will take place in Tokyo and Osaka, with Japan and the USA alternating hosting duties annually.