Mark Taylor has been appointed as Welsh captain for next month's three internationals against Samoa, the USA and South Africa.
With Cardiff prop David Young recovering from a calf operation, 27-year-old Swansea centre Taylor , an almost ever-present in the team under coach Graham Henry, will lead the team.
Taylor, with 24 caps under his belt, will become the 114th skipper of his nation and said: "It is a massive honour, but I have to admit it was never really an ambition of mine to captain Wales. I just wanted to play for my country. Being given the job for three games gives me a chance to test the water and see how I cope with the job. My only experience of captaincy has been for a Wales XV against the French Barbarians and in a midweek friendly for Swansea a few years ago. Other than that, I've never led a team before at any level."
Taylor made his Wales debut against South Africa back in 1994 but was cast into the international wilderness under coach Kevin Bowring. Since then, though, he has played in 18 of the 21 Wales internationals under new coach Henry, who said: "We are looking for a captain to take us through to the 2003 World Cup and beyond. Mark is an outstanding candidate. He doesn't have a lot of captaincy experience but the next three games will give him the chance to develop his leadership skills."