Britni French’s passion for rugby has paid off again.

The 20-year-old Innisfil athlete was selected to play for U20 Canada Women's Rugby Team two weeks ago and she is about to play in the biggest tournament of her life.

French leaves for Seattle Sunday to play in the 2015 Can Am Cup Series, which runs from Aug. 16-23.

“This is very important for me,” the Nantyr Shores Secondary School graduate said. “This is one the biggest for me because it’s the first time I’ll be playing for Canada.”

French fell in love with the rough and tumble sport of rugby when she started Grade 9 at Nantyr, where she played for five years.

“I like rugby because there is no one star on the team. Everyone works together to achieve a common goal. I like the community that it builds.”

She credits her high school coach, Matt Rietkoetter, for encouraging her to tackle higher levels of rugby.

“He was an amazing coach,” French said. “He’s the one who kept me focused as a player. He would give me one-on-one time.”

And it was Rietkoetter who recommended she join a rugby club outside of school if she wanted he playing career to hit new heights.

In Grade 11, French decided to make a serious commitment to her favourite sport by joining the U18 Barrie Rugby Club.