Pacific Nations Cup 2024: Six players to watch

Ahead of the start of the reimagined cross-regional competition, we have picked out a player from each squad to keep an eye on.

The eagerly anticipated Pacific Nations Cup 2024 will get underway this Friday when Fiji host Pool A rivals Samoa in Suva.

Kicking off a new era for the cross-regional competition, the six-team tournament will be staged across five weekends with the champion crowned at the Grand Final in Osaka on Saturday, 21 September.

Designed to drive competitiveness, the Pacific Nations Cup 2024 will provide a crucial staging post on the road to the expanded Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.

And ahead of the opening round, we have trawled through the six squads and picked out one player from each who you should keep an eye on over the next five weeks.

Andrew Quattrin (Canada)
Canada head coach Kingsley Jones will hope his New England Free Jacks contingent can transfer their Major League Rugby form into the Pacific Nations Cup.

Five members of Canada’s 35-player training squad were part of the Free Jacks team that tasted MLR glory at Snapdragon Stadium earlier this month and they will be hungry for more silverware over the coming weeks.

None of those players arrived in better form than hooker Andrew Quattrin, who contributed 12 tackles and 10 ball carries to the Free Jacks’ 20-11 defeat of Seattle Seawolves in the championship match.

Quattrin scored one of his side’s three tries as they beat Chicago Hounds 23-17 in the Eastern Conference final the previous week and his performances across the season earned him a place in the 2024 All-MLR second team.

Having made his test debut five years ago and played three times during Canada’s Rugby World Cup 2019 campaign, Quattrin brings a wealth of experience to his country’s front row.

But he will be pushed all the way for his place in the Canada side, with uncapped hooker Dewald Kotze having enjoyed a prolific season with Dallas Jackals, scoring 11 tries.

Iosefo Masi (Fiji)

Fresh from helping Fiji to an Olympic sevens silver medal at Paris 2024, Iosefo Masi is ready to show his quality on a 15s pitch.

Masi started all six of Fiji’s matches at Stade de France last month, following a two-year break from sevens, scoring three tries and linking up with test team-mate Selesitino Ravutaumada to devastating effect.

The Fijian Drua star, a gold medallist at Tokyo 2020, was unable to help his country to a hat-trick of Olympic titles as they fell just short in the gold medal match against the Antoine Dupont-powered hosts. But back in the test arena, Masi will not lack inspiration as he attempts to drive Fiji to a seventh Pacific Nations Cup title.

The centre made a try-scoring test debut against Samoa last July and went on to make two appearances as a replacement during RWC 2023 in France.

In the absence of Josua Tuisova and Waisea Nayacalevu, Masi will have an important role to play over the next month. He was one of the standout players in this year’s Super Rugby Pacific, beating more defenders (80) than any other player in the competition.

Yoshitaka Yazaki (Japan)

University student Yoshitaka Yazaki was fast-tracked into Eddie Jones’ Japan squad earlier this year despite having not played a single minute of senior club rugby.

Yazaki is reported to have caught Jones’ eye during a two-try performance for Japan XV in their nail-biting 45-43 victory against Fiji Warriors in the World Rugby Pacific Challenge in Apia in April and he will now have an opportunity to light up the PNC.

The 20-year-old full-back was subsequently selected to start the Brave Blossoms’ 52-17 defeat to England in Tokyo in June and did enough to keep his place for the rest of Japan’s summer programme.

His first senior international points arrived in a non-cap match against the Māori All Blacks before Yazaki again wore the number 15 jersey in test losses to Georgia and Italy last month.

Prior to his elevation to the senior ranks, Yazaki starred for his country at the World Rugby U20 Championship 2023 in South Africa, where he was widely tipped as a star for the future despite Japan’s relegation.

Tuna Tuitama (Samoa)

A bright spark in the Samoa sevens team of recent years, Tuna Tuitama will hope his try-scoring ability proves as potent on the test stage in the coming weeks.

Tuitama made his world series debut in December 2019 but, largely due to the impact of the pandemic, it was not until three years later that he became a regular on the circuit.

In the third tournament of the 2023 season, the lightning-quick back scored five tries as Samoa won their most recent title, beating Ireland, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand en route to glory in Cape Town.

Although he was unable to prevent Samoa from suffering relegation from HSBC SVNS in Madrid at the start of June, Tuitama scored 30 tries in 14 tournaments on the series and his performances have earned him an opportunity in 15s.

The uncapped winger will not only be part of the Samoa squad chasing a fifth PNC crown, he has also signed with Super Rugby Pacific side Moana Pasifika for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Ben Tameifuna (Tonga)

Arguably the most recognisable face in the Tonga squad, imposing prop Ben Tameifuna will hope to lead his country to PNC glory over the next month.

A former New Zealand U20 international, Tameifuna began his professional career with the Chiefs, where he won two Super Rugby titles, before moving to France with Racing 92 in 2015.

He subsequently switched his international allegiance to Tonga, making his test debut against Wales in 2017 and going on to feature at two Men’s Rugby World Cups. In doing so, he emulated his uncle Sona Taumalolo, who represented the ‘Ikale Tahi at the showpiece tournament in 2011 and 2015.

Tameifuna, who tips the scales at a colossal 151kg, signed for Bordeaux-Bègles in 2020 and is fresh from a season in which he helped the club to a first Top 14 final. Bordeaux were beaten convincingly by Toulouse in the showpiece match denying the tighthead a second Top 14 winner’s medal.

Despite his size, Tameifuna is known for possessing deft handling skills while his prowess from a kicking tee has previously gone viral. He was named captain at RWC 2023.

Cory Daniel (USA)

Old Glory flanker Cory Daniel made a stunning return to fitness during the 2024 Major League Rugby season, having missed much of the previous campaign due to injury.

Daniel was named in the 2024 All-MLR first team having made more tackles (277) than any other player in the league and arrived at an impressive 397 rucks.

The 28-year-old also chipped in with four tries in his 15 appearances as Old Glory made the Eastern Conference semi-finals, and Daniel’s availability is a boon for coach Scott Lawrence at a time of transition for the Men’s Eagles.

With a number of experienced heads coming to the end of their international careers, the Pacific Nations Cup offers Lawrence a chance to look at the team’s future and he has included five uncapped players in his squad.

So, being able to rely on the back-row talents of Daniel is an obvious positive. The flanker remains unbeaten at test level, albeit his three caps to date all came at the unsuccessful Rugby World Cup 2023 Final Qualification Tournament campaign in Dubai two years ago.