Perry, Vikings teammates Andrew Robinson and Joseph Powell, Brumbies prop Allan Alaalatoa and Super Rugby rookie Tom Staniforth will all play for the Australian under-20s side at the junior World Cup in June.

Teaming up with the next generation of Wallabies in New Zealand is a far cry from the hitchhiking holiday he had across the Tasman last year.

But the improving flanker will happily swap his backpack, camp-fire couscous and waving down strangers for a chance to show he's ready for professional rugby.

The 20-year-old university student isn't the average rugby player.

He hails from Alstonville – best known as the NSW tidy town winner of 1985 – and prefers body boarding to surfing. When he was in New Zealand with his brother and sister, they slept under bridges instead of hotels.

After a pre-season trial game for the Vikings, Perry asked coach Brad Harris to drop him off on the highway so he could hitchhike down to Batemans Bay.

When he hitchhiked home to Alstonville, Perry was so engaging that the driver who picked him up decided the Vikings youngster was worth investing in and became a personal sponsor.

He will play for the Vikings against Gungahlin on Saturday before joining the Australian squad to finalise preparations for the junior World Cup.

"The [last time I was in New Zealand] I hitchhiked for two weeks with my brother and sister ... you wake up in the morning and have a goal of where you want to get to, but that changes," Perry said.

"I'm pretty stoked I get the chance to go and represent Australia in New Zealand in a different way this time.

"Hopefully we stay somewhere nice and getting catered for instead of cooking couscous on a tiny little gas stove wherever we were. It was pretty basic travelling around last time."

Perry is in his third season with the Vikings after moving to Canberra from Alstonville to further his rugby career.

He missed out on Australian under-20s selection last year and was cut from the squad before getting a chance to impress the coaches.

The hard-working flanker is also aiming for a spot in the Canberra Vikings squad for the inaugural National Rugby Championships to press his claims for a professional contract.

Perry started every game in first grade last year as the Vikings won back-to-back John I Dent Cup premierships.

They will lose talented trio Perry, Powell and Robinson for at least a month as they target junior World Cup success.

The Vikings spotted Perry at an NSW Schoolboy trial three years ago and he has worked hard to clinch representative selection.

"He's very laid back. He carried a backpack for weeks hitchhiking, sleeping under bridges and that's what he and his family do," Harris said.

"He's worked his arse off to get better and he deserves his spot in the Australian team. He works part-time, goes to uni, supports himself.

"He's never going to be 190 centimetres or 115 kilograms, so he's going to have to focus on being a hard-at-the-ball No.7 to go to the next level and I think the NRC can open up chances for guys like him."

The Queanbeyan Whites will be bolstered by the return of Brumbies lock Leon Power.

Power is making his comeback from a knee injury that has kept him out of action for the past month.

If he gets through the clash against Easts unscathed, he will probably be added to the Brumbies squad for a two-game tour of South Africa.

JOHN I DENT CUP

Saturday: Tuggeranong Vikings v Gungahlin Eagles at Viking Park, 3.25pm; Easts v Queanbeyan at Griffith Oval, 3.05pm; Wests v Uni-Norths Owls at Jamison Oval, 3.05pm.