WALES v ROMANIA Owen backs Charteris to impress Live on BBC TV, radio and online

Luke Charteris will make his first Wales start in Friday's Test with Romania as coach Mike Ruddock rings the changes after the loss to South Africa.

The 21-year-old Dragons lock replaces the injured Brent Cockbain (shoulder) in a re-shuffled forward pack.

Gethin Jenkins starts at prop, Gareth Llewellyn partners Charteris in the second row, Mefin Davies comes in at hooker and Michael Owen moves to No 8.

Tom Shanklin gets the nod at centre, and Rhys Williams plays on the wing.

The Cardiff Blues three-quarter replaces his namesake Shane, who has a knee injury, while Sonny Parker makes way for Shanklin.

Prop Duncan Jones and hooker Steve Jones, both of whom started against the Springboks on Saturday, are also on the bench, but No 8 Ryan Jones has been ruled out with a dead leg.

Ospreys back-rower Jonathan Thomas, who missed the Springbok game because of suspension, is also among the replacements, while Dragons scrum-half Gareth Cooper replaces Mike Phillips as the back-up to Dwayne Peel.

The second-row pairing was something we were looking to implement for this match, regardless of the injury to Brent (Cockbain) Wales coach Mike Ruddock

Charteris, who stands at 6ft 9in, played the last 20 minutes of Saturday's 36-38 defeat to the Springboks at the Millennium Stadium, and Ruddock was impressed with his debut performance

"We have no worries about Luke's relative inexperience," said Ruddock of Charteris, who has not started a game for his region this season.

"I coached him for a year at the Dragons, and I know his game better than most. We have no doubt that he can take his game forward.

"The second-row pairing was something we were looking to implement for this match, regardless of the injury to Brent (Cockbain).

"We want to have another look at Michael (Owen) at number eight, and Gareth (Llewellyn), while providing an experienced cool head and guiding hand for Luke, has a real opportunity to play himself into contention for the New Zealand game."

An experimental Wales side came out 54-8 winners in Wrexham when the team's last met, but Ruddock expects his side to turn on the style again this time.

"We've got four injuries in the camp which has effected us, but overall I think this is a very competitive team," Ruddock told BBC Wales Sport.

"It's a team I want to be very bold and play very exciting rugby."

Wales: G Thomas (Toulouse, capt); R Williams (Blues), T Shanklin (Blues), G Henson (Ospreys), H Luscombe (Dragons); S Jones (Clermont-Auvergne), D Peel (Scarlets); G Jenkins (Blues), M Davies (Neath), A Jones (Ospreys), G Llewellyn (Narbonne), L Charteris (Dragons), D Jones (Scarlets), C Charvis (Newcastle), M Owen (Dragons).
Replacements: S Jones (Dragons), D Jones (Ospreys), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Blues), G Cooper (Dragons), C Sweeney (Dragons), M Taylor (Scarlets).

Romania: V Marftei (Aurillac); V Ghioc (Dinamo Bucuresti), C Sauan (Rugby Rovigo), R Gonteineac (Aurillac), I Todorescu (U Cluj); I Tofan (Metro Racing), L Sirbu (Metro Racing); P Balan (Biarritz Olimpique), B Zebega (Steaua Bucuresti), M Socaciu (Rugby Rovigo), F Tatu (Steaua Bucuresti), C Petre (Tarbes), C Mersoiu (Perigueux), A Tudori (Perigueux), A Petrache (Beziers).
Replacements: tbc