USRF Grants Three 2025 Nelson College Scholarships
The U.S. Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce it has granted Nelson College Rugby Scholarships to Jamison Clegg of Bozeman, MT, Charles Gehl of Missoula, MT and Kolomona Kahanu of Pahoa, HI. Jamie, Chuck and Kolo will spend four and a half months over the spring and summer of 2025 attending Nelson College, a high school in Nelson City, New Zealand, which offers a unique, even by New Zealand standards, track of elective Rugby Curriculum courses as part of their already highly competitive program of academic courses.
The goal of the USRF’s Nelson College Rugby Scholarship program is to advance the personal, cultural, and academic development of the scholar athletes while providing them the opportunity to become better rugby players and use their experience in New Zealand to influence and elevate the play of their high school teammates upon their return.
Jamison Clegg
Jamie Clegg is a 17-year-old Senior at Gallatin High School in Bozeman, MT, and is a 6’ 4” / 215 lb. second-row forward for Bozeman’s Gallatin Wranglers. His family recently moved from Ft. Collins, CO and Clegg has been selected for both the Colorado U-18 All-State and the Montana U-19 All-State Sides. A karate black belt, Clegg narrowed his high school focus to rugby, student leadership, animal rescue, and youth sports recruitment. Clegg attended the Northampton Saints Stowe 5-day Camp in the UK, the Haka Rugby Global Camp in Denver, the Leinster Camp at Syracuse University, and, this past December, the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy’s (EIRA) 5-day winter invitational camp in Arizona.
Charles Gehl
Chuck Gehl is a 16-year-old High School Junior in Missoula, MT, and is a 6’0” / 250 lb. prop for his High School Rugby team – the Missoula Stampede. Missoula Stampede has been the Montana State Champions – and Gehl has been their starting prop – every year since his freshman year. Gehl has been selected to play on the Montana U-16 and U-19 select sides each year as well. An avid downhill skier, hiker, and mountain biker, Gehl is also Captain, since his sophomore year, of the high school wrestling team and has qualified for the Montana State Varsity Heavyweight wrestling championship. Gehl attended the West Point Rugby Camp, and this past December attended the EIRA’s 5-day winter camp in Arizona.
Kolomona Kahanu
Kolo Kahanu is a 16 year-old Junior from Pahoa, HI and a Junior at Timpview High School in Provo, UT. Kahanu is listed as a 6’0” / 180 lb. scrum half. Fearless on defense, he is very accomplished and can play anywhere along the back line. Kahanu has played on the Hawaiian State Championship team; on the 1st Place team in the 2023 U-16 States Tournament; was Player of the Match in the 2024 Utah Spider Fest; and was selected for the “Dream Team 7” during the 2024 National 7’s Tournament in Ohio. Fluent in Hawaiian, his first language, Kahanu led his high school team to a 2nd place finish in the Hawaiian State Soccer championship and a Hawaiian Island Championship in the competitive open ocean canoe racing. This past December, Kahanu attended the EIRA’s 5-day winter camp in Arizona.
Nelson College and the Rugby Curriculum
Nelson College is an all-boys boarding school in Nelson City on the Northern shore of New Zealand’s South Island. Founded in 1856, Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school and the school where rugby in New Zealand was started. Located on the shores of Tasman Bay, Nelson City is a small city with a vibrant and diverse culture. Known as the sunshine “capital” of New Zealand, the area is blessed with stunning natural landscapes. Of the 960 students enrolled at Nelson College, 200 play rugby; and 110 of these “pathways players” participate in the formal Rugby Curriculum courses by attending daily rugby classes based around the following six key pillars of player development: Technical; Tactical; Strength and Conditioning; Nutrition; Mental Skills; and Personal Development.
Jon Hinkin, the President of USRF, former Captain of the USA Eagles 7’s, and a member of the Selection Committee, remarked, “The Selection Committee faced a challenging responsibility in narrowing down the 2025 applicants to a remarkable group of strong semi-finalists, and an even tougher job in selecting these three recipients.”
Selection Committee Perspectives
Jonathan “Jono” Phillips (photo at right), the architect of the Nelson College Rugby Curriculum and a founding father of the USRF / Nelson College Rugby Scholarship, has been, for the past six years, its 1st XV Head Coach. Jono, a member of the Selection Committee, noted “It is a great privilege for Nelson College to partner with the U.S. Rugby Foundation. Having this opportunity to work with the Foundation and sharing the rugby pathway we have developed at Nelson College with aspiring American rugby players is something the Nelson College coaching staff has very much welcomed.”
At the start of this year, 2025, Jono has turned the 1 st XV Head Coaching reins over to Greg Foe (photo at left) who has been Jono’s right hand man and Assistant Head Coach at Nelson College for the past several years. Greg, a former Samoa international player, and with previous roles as Nelson Strength and Conditioning Coach and a key contributor to the Nelson Rugby Academy Curriculum classes, will oversee player development through the Rugby Academy in addition to his role as 1 st XV Head Coach. Greg, a member of the Selection Committee, noted: “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with Oliver, Max, Connor and JW over the past two years. These talented and hard working kids have been great ambassadors for American rugby, and we look forward to meeting and working with Jamie, Chuck and Kolo this coming year.”
Bill Fraumann, member of the selection committee, USRF Chair, and former Eagle added: “We are building on the success of our ‘23 and ‘24 scholarship winners. They had truly amazing experiences at Nelson College and their rugby skills improved exponentially. We are very grateful to our scholarship benefactors whose generosity made it possible for the Foundation to award three scholarship grants this year. Congrats to Jamie, Chuck and Kolo!
Brendan Keane, Manager and Coach of USA Rugby’s High-Performance Pathways Program and a member of the Selection Committee commented “It’s an exciting opportunity for these young players to experience rugby and culture in a place like New Zealand. We are looking forward to watching their development.”
“Friends of Nelson College”
The USRF Nelson College Rugby Scholarships are funded solely by the generous contributions of the "Friends of Nelson College" – a dedicated group of like-minded USRF donors who recognize the unquantifiable life-changing impact of playing in New Zealand.
This year marks the first time that the Montana Institute of Sport has joined this incredible group, further strengthening opportunities for young American high school players to develop their rugby IQ and skills.
A heartfelt thank you to all the Friends of Nelson College for making this experience possible!
