Matthew French

Matthew French (born 16 November 1999) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock forward for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Early life French grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales. He played junior rugby league with The Entrance Tigers before progressing through North Sydney’s junior representative system.

Playing career

NSW Cup and junior grades French featured for North Sydney in the Jersey Flegg Cup in 2018, before joining South Sydney's Jersey Flegg side in 2019, where he was part of the premiership-winning team. He made his NSW Cup debut for South Sydney in Round 1 of the 2021 season against Penrith.

NRL debut French made his NRL debut in Round 10 of the 2024 season, coming off the interchange bench in a 28–14 loss to St George Illawarra at Jubilee Oval. As of July 2025, that remains his sole first-grade appearance.