USRF Grants Three 2026 Graham Downes International Scholarships at Nelson College
The U.S. Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce it has granted Nelson College Rugby Scholarships to Alexander Drury of Millbrook, NY; Bennett Glock of Bayonne, NJ; and Kolomona Kahanu of Hilo, HI. These three boys will spend four and a half months over the spring and summer of 2026 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 USRF’s Graham Downes International Rugby Scholarship at Nelson College program is to advance the personal, cultural, and academic development of the scholar athletes while providing them an opportunity to become better rugby players and then to use this New Zealand experience to influence and elevate the play of their teammates when they get home.
Alexander Drury is a 17 year-old Junior at Choate Rosemary Hall, a college-preparatory school in Wallingford, CT and is a 6’ 1” / 205 lb. center. Alex is captain of the Aspetuck Valley Rugby Club in Newtown, CT and plays for the White Plains (NY) Men’s Rugby Club. Alex played for and captained Atlantis in the 2024 Tropical 7’s and National 7’s; he played for the North American Lions on their 2024 Germany Tour and captained the 2025 Dubai Lions Team; he played for and captained the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) Team on their tours of Ireland in both 2024 and 2025; on their EIRA Netherlands and Italy Tour in 2025; and, at the Tropical 7s in 2025. Alex played for the USA at Global Youth 7s 2025 and was selected for and participated in the USA Rugby’s U18 2025 Winter Camp. Alex plays halfback and safety on his high school football team; is the school’s club weightlifting leader; and is an avid outdoorsman spending time hiking, biking and doing photography.
Bennett Glock is a 17 year-old Junior at Saint Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City, NJ and is a 5’ 10” / 195 lb. center for the Union County (NJ) Mud Turtles Rugby Team. (Bennett’s high school does not have a rugby team.) Bennett plays for the NJ Jesters Select Sevens team; the NJ All-Star Select Team; Atlantis Boys Academy and the Ohio Aviators Boys Academy. Bennett regularly travels up to the Bronx in New York City and trains and plays with the Old Blue RFC men’s club’s practice squad. Bennett was also selected for and participated in the USA Rugby’s U18 2025 Winter Camp. Bennett is an avid snow sports enthusiast and is a Certified Snowboard Instructor at Gore Mountain in North Creek, NY.
Kolomona Kahanu is a 17 year-old Senior at Hilo High School in Hilo, HI and is a 6’ 0” / 190 lb. scrum half for the Hawaii Youth Rugby Team called Poly United Rugby. Kolo played for the Nelson College 2nd XV and the Cambridge XV in 2025; the San Diego Legion’s U18 Tour to Auckland, NZ and Sydney, Australia in 2025; with Pasifika Rugby Club, 2024 National 7’s Youth Rugby Championships in Ohio (chosen one of the starting 7 for Dream Team); and the Gorilla Rugby Academy at the 2024 NAI7s (2nd place). Kolo recently met up with and teamed with Alex and Bennett at the USA Rugby’s 2025 U18 Winter Camp. Fluent in Hawaiian, his first language, Kolo is active at open ocean outrigger canoe racing (his state’s official team sport). He paddled for the Puna Canoe Club, winning the State Championship in 2022 and 2023.
Kolo was a recipient of a USRF Nelson College Scholarship last year, in 2025! Kolo was invited back for a 2nd year and was offered a 50% scholarship by Nelson College to return this year. The USRF is providing a grant to cover the other 50%, allowing Kolo to return to Nelson College for a 2nd year in 2026.
USA Rugby’s 2025 U18 Winter Camp is a pathways camp where the top 50 prospects across the U.S. in the U18 age grade are invited to a 5 day intensive evaluation as USAR’s pathways coaches assess these prospects for the upcoming Junior National Team Tours. Although it certainly is not a requirement for applying, all three Nelson College Scholarship recipients this year took part in this highly regarded and very competitive Winter Camp held this past December (2025) in North Carolina.
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 first played. 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, about 200 play rugby; and over 100 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.
Selection Committee Perspectives
Greg Foe (photo below) is the Nelson College 1st XV Head Coach! Greg, a former Samoa International XVs flanker and 7s scrum half, oversees player development
through the Rugby Academy in addition to his role as 1st XV Head Coach. Greg, 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. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with the seven scholarship recipients over the past three years. These talented and hard working kids have been great ambassadors for American rugby, and we look forward to meeting and working with Alex and Bennett – and welcoming Kolo back – this coming year.”
Jon Hinkin, the USRF COO, former Captain of the USA Eagles 7’s, and a member of the Selection Committee, remarked, “The Selection Committee faced a challenging task in narrowing down the 2026 applicants to a remarkable group of strong semi-finalists. Congratulations Alex and Bennett for presenting compelling resumes, interviewing well and for coming out on top; and congratulations to Kolo for being invited back! Best wishes to you all for your exciting rugby adventures down at Nelson College this year!”
Bill Fraumann, member of the Selection Committee, USRF Director, former USRF Chairman, and former Eagle added: “We are building on the success of our ’23, ‘24 and ’25 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 Alex, Bennett and Kolo!
Brendan Keane, Head of Men's Player Systems and Development for USA Rugby and a member of the Selection Committee commented “It’s an exciting opportunity for Alex, Bennett and Kolo to experience rugby and culture in a place like New Zealand. I had the pleasure of watching them up close in our U18 Winter Camp and we will look forward to watching them develop this year at Nelson College."
Salty Thompson, Founder and Director of the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA), noted: "The Nelson College Scholarships, to date, has had life changing impacts on the lives of the young finalists we have sent down. These players have dramatically improved their rugby while experiencing a New Zealand education and culture and making long lasting friendships. Alex, Bennett and Kolo should very much grow from this experience."
“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.
Starting with this year’s scholarships, The Graham Downes Fund has enthusiastically agreed to become a “Friend of Nelson College” and, as such, has generously agreed to provide funding for one of the scholarships.
A heartfelt “thank you” to the Graham Downes Fund and all the other “Friends of Nelson College” for making this experience possible for this year’s three scholarship recipients!
