Fijian-born rugby union hooker Cyrille Cama, 23, is on the verge of making his international debut with the USA Eagles in the newly formatted Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) competition. Cama is among six uncapped players in the USA Eagles squad, aiming for a top placement in the tournament that begins on Friday at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, featuring a match between the Flying Fijians and Manu Samoa.
The USA Eagles will host Japan on Saturday, August 31, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. Originally hailing from Natokalau, Kubulau, with maternal ties to Bureta in Ovalau, Cama started playing rugby at St Agnes Primary School in Nabua, where he served as captain for two years. He moved to Los Angeles with his family in 2013.
Cama signed a two-year contract with Major League champions LA Giltinis two years ago and was selected for the USA Eagles Under-20s team. He further advanced through the High-Performance Programme and played for the Rhinos Tens professional team during the World Tens Series in Bermuda in 2020. He was part of the Rhinos Rugby Academy in Sacramento, alongside notable sevens players such as Collins Injera and Andrew Amonde.
Cama is the first player from the Rhinos Academy and High-Performance Programme to be selected for the USA Eagles.
World Rugby has announced that the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup will serve as a qualification pathway for the Rugby World Cup 2027. This year’s tournament is critical for expanding the USA’s player pool ahead of next year’s qualification, with Fiji and Japan already qualified for RWC 2027.
USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence expressed that the five-week PNC campaign is an opportunity for the squad to adjust to the preparation and intensity of test match rugby. He believes new faces will bring fresh energy, and he expects the team to enter camp with a competitive mindset.
Cama’s mother, Marjorie Cama, highlighted her son’s journey as a blend of human kindness and divine support. She expressed gratitude to everyone involved in Cyrille’s development, stating, “It’s a blessing because it was always his dream to play rugby. As they always say, America is the land of great things, where the sky is the limit.”
This year’s PNC features a round-robin format with two pools and 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 engage in one home and one away match during the pool stage.
The tournament has introduced a finals series with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semi-finals. The winners will compete in the final, while the losers will vie for third place. The teams finishing last in 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.
The finals will take place in Tokyo and Osaka, with hosting responsibilities rotating annually between Japan and the USA.