Charvis has to cover for Wales' inexperience

Half of Wales appears to believe that Colin Charvis, the Swansea flanker, should not be allowed within a hundred miles of the national captaincy – Gwyn Jones, a former international loose forward who knows what it is to lead the Red Dragonhood at Test level, is certainly of the opinion that his successor's miserable club form renders him ill equipped to shoulder the burden in the forthcoming Six Nations' Championship. Fortunately for Charvis, the most influential figure of all – Steve Hansen, the head coach – counts himself among the other 50 per cent.

"I have no problems with Colin," the New Zealander said yesterday after naming a 31-man squad for the contest with Italy in Rome on Saturday week. "It is always disappointing to see someone getting bagged in public, but that is the nature of the industry we're in and we have to cope with it. Colin would be the first to admit he has not played as well as he can, but then, the whole Swansea side has been struggling. He needs to rediscover his spark, but he did the job successfully in each of our last two campaigns" – the two-Test tour of South Africa last summer and the autumn series in Cardiff – "and has grown into the responsibility."

It takes some believing that Wales can rustle up only one Test Lion, Charvis himself, in a party of 30-plus, but that is a sign of the times down in the valleys. Seven of the 15 forwards are still in single-figure nappies when it comes to experience at the top level, an unpalatable fact that underlines the failure of a system that has seen three players of the highest class – the Swansea prop Darren Morris, the Cardiff prop Peter Rogers and the Llanelli lock Chris Wyatt – disappear in a fog of anonymity in recent seasons.

Rogers, the most destructive loose-head prop in the world as recently as the summer of 2000, has lately occupied the hooker's berth at the Arms Park, and successfully, too. Yet Hansen, short of a No 2 because of long-term injuries to Robin McBryde, Barry Williams and Andrew Lewis, is more interested in persuading Duncan Jones, the young Neath prop, to switch positions than offering Rogers an opportunity of international redemption. Asked whether the latter was remotely under consideration, the coach spat out a one-word reply of the negative variety.

There are two new caps in the party: Matthew Watkins, the Llanelli outside centre, and Cery Sweeney, the Pontypridd outside-half. Watkins has played out of his socks for the ever-successful Scarlets since moving from Newport – he has pace, a good step and a sophisticated line in distribution – and would be well worth a punt alongside the more forthright Leigh Davies, another Llanelli man and a clear favourite for the inside centre position. Sweeney, however, is some distance behind Stephen Jones and Iestyn Harris in the stand-off stakes.

At least he is in the equation, though, which is more than can be said for two of Ireland's more gifted individuals, the Munster full-back Jeremy Staunton and his provincial colleague, the brilliant young lock Donncha O'Callaghan. Neither have made Eddie O'Sullivan's 31-strong squad, despite performances over the last 18 days that would have catapulted them into any Welsh selection it is possible to imagine. Girvan Dempsey and Geordan Murphy are the full-backs under consideration for the match with Scotland on 16 February, while O'Callaghan has been forced out by a hardened Test campaigner in the shape of Jeremy Davidson, the Ulsterman who locked the Lions scrum in South Africa in 1997.

England, meanwhile, were mysteriously silent on the extent of the injury damage suffered by two important forwards, the Wasps No 8 Lawrence Dallaglio and the Bristol prop Julian White, during Premiership matches on Sunday. Dallaglio "popped" a shoulder during the victory over Northampton, while White wrenched a knee during the defeat by Leeds. Both were immediately considered doubtful for the meeting with France in 10 days' time, and in light of the England hierarchy's decision to slap the sporting equivalent of a D-Notice on the subject, their prospects may be worse than at first feared.

WALES SIX NATIONS SQUAD: Backs: K Morgan (Swansea), R Williams (Cardiff), G Thomas (Bridgend), M Jones (Llanelli), C Morgan (Cardiff), M Watkins (Llanelli), J Robinson (Cardiff), L Davies (Llanelli), T Shanklin (Saracens), M Taylor (Swansea), I Harris (Cardiff), C Sweeney (Pontypridd), S Jones (Llanelli), G Cooper (Bath), R Powell (Cardiff), D Peel (Llanelli). Forwards: I Thomas (Llanelli), G Jenkins (Pontypridd), B Evans (Swansea), M Madden (Llanelli), M Davies (Pontypridd), R Sidoli (Pontypridd), G Llewellyn (Neath), S Williams (Northampton), V Cooper (Llanelli), G Thomas (Bath), R Parks (Pontypridd), M Williams (Cardiff), D Jones (Llanelli), C Charvis (Swansea), M Owen (Pontypridd).