The Forbes product has been named to start at loose head prop for NSW Country as they kick off their four-game campaign against the Australian U20s at Chatswood Oval tonight.

It will be his first time pulling on the Country gold, and he can’t wait.

“I’m very excited,” French said.

“It was a bit unexpected to be in the starting team.”

So too was making the squad itself.

French thought his chances had disappeared when he was knocked out early in New England’s second game and unable to take any further part in the Country Championships earlier this month.

But much to his delight the Country selectors had seen enough from the game and a bit he played.

“I’d been working pretty hard leading into it,” he said.

“I had a goal to get selected in the Country side.”

The agribusiness student spent a fair bit of last season watching on from the sidelines after tearing the ligaments off the bone in his foot in Parents’ Weekend.

Keen for a big season in what will be his last, at least for Albies, he did a lot of work over the summer.

He worked on his strength, being strong in the scrums and his fitness so he could be a lot more active around the field.

It seems to have paid off.

Capable of playing either side of the scrum, French predominantly packs on the loosehead side.

“I used to play hooker,” he said. “When I went to Albies I changed to prop.”

He had his introduction to the Country set-up last weekend at what was a very intense training camp.

“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done before,” he said.

Today has been billed as the Cockatoos’ hardest match, with the 20s in preparation mode for the World 

Championships.

That preparation has already seen them register a first-ever win, for the 20s, over New Zealand.

“Those boys live for rugby,” French said,

“It’ll be a really good test to come up against them.”

Walcha’s Simon Newton will also start, at inside centre, while Rams team-mate Soni Halanukonuka will come off the bench along with French’s Albies’ team-mate Ollie Bartlett.

It will mean that Albies are again without both of them for their clash with Barbarians today but French is tipping them to get the job done.

“They’ll be fine,” he said.

“They’ve really gelled as group.”

That showed last week when they accounted for Armidale.

The Blues have had their measure in recent encounters and French said he and Bartlett were pretty excited when they  got the call through in camp Albies had won.

Former Tamworth skipper Harry Veitch has also been named on the bench.

Now playing  with Hamilton in Newcastle, Veitch played for Far North Coast at the Country Championships.