Fijian rugby union hooker Cyrille Cama, 23, is on the brink of making his international debut with the USA Eagles in this year’s rebranded Pacific Nations Cup. Cama is among six uncapped players selected for the USA team as they aim for a top placement in the tournament, which begins on Friday at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, featuring a match between the Flying Fijians and Manu Samoa.
The USA Eagles will face Japan on Saturday, August 31, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. Cama hails from Natokalau, Kubulau, in Bua and has family connections to Bureta in Ovalau. He began his rugby career at St Agnes Primary School in Nabua, where he captained the team as a line-backer for two years before relocating to Los Angeles with his family in 2013.
Two years ago, Cama signed a two-year contract with the Major League Rugby champions, the LA Giltinis, and was selected for the USA Eagles Under-20s team. He advanced through the High-Performance Programme and played for the Rhinos Tens professional team during the World Tens Series in Bermuda in 2020. He also represented the Rhinos Rugby Academy in Sacramento, where he trained alongside notable African sevens players like Collins Injera, Andrew Amonde, and Cecil Africa. Cama is the first athlete from the Rhinos Academy and HPU to earn a spot on the USA Eagles roster.
World Rugby has announced that the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup will serve as a qualification event for the Rugby World Cup 2027, making this inaugural tournament significant for expanding the USA’s player pool ahead of next year’s qualifiers. Fiji and Japan have already secured their spots for RWC 2027.
Scott Lawrence, head coach of the USA Eagles, commented on the five-week Pacific Nations Cup, highlighting it as an opportunity for the Eagles to experience the heightened preparation and intensity required for test match rugby. He expressed excitement about the new players bringing fresh energy into the camp with a competitive spirit.
Cama’s mother, Marjorie Cama, reflected on her son’s journey, describing it as a blend of human kindness, generosity, and divine intervention. She expressed her gratitude to those at the academy and the professional resources that contributed to Cyrille’s development and success. “It was always his dream to play rugby,” she noted, emphasizing that America offers endless possibilities.
This year’s Pacific Nations Cup features a new round-robin format with two pools and a Grand Final to determine the overall champions. Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga constitute 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 top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals, and the winning teams will compete in the final, while the losers will vie for third place. The two 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 the following day. The final matches will take place in Tokyo and Osaka, with Japan and the USA alternating as hosts each year.