Williams 'turned down captaincy'

Charvis, who has led his country on 10 previous occasions, was given the nod by coach Steve Hansen after fellow flanker Martyn Williams indicated he would prefer to concentrate on his own game.

"I just hope myself and all the guys going over there can do as well as we possibly can," Charvis told BBC Sport.

"Maybe all the hard work over the summer will benefit us and hopefully we'll do quite well at the tournament."

Charvis' inclusion in the 30-man squad was only guaranteed after securing a private sponsorship deal with a Cardiff restaurant.

The Lions forward found himself without a regional contract when negotiations broke down with the Neath-Swansea Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union said they could not afford to pay him on a short-term contract.

Charvis poised for Japan

BBC Wales Sport understands that Charvis will take up a club contract in Japan in the spring of 2004, ending his international career.

Despite using five different captains in recent Test matches, Hansen revealed that the race for the World Cup captaincy was between Charvis and Williams.

He's a reasonably mentally tough bloke and his performances of late have been outstanding Wales coach Steve Hansen on Colin Charvis

But after Williams voiced concerns over his lack of experience, Charvis became the only choice.

Charvis added: "Martyn has captained the country very well in the past and I'm sure he'll go on to captain the country many times in the future.

"He's got a few more years ahead of him in a red shirt than I have."

Williams will take a vice-captain's role along with previous skippers Robin McBryde, Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas.

Charvis led Wales in nine consecutive matches before being stripped of the captaincy after the humiliating 2003 Six Nations defeat to Italy.

He returned as captain as Wales beat Scotland 23-9 in last month's final World Cup warm-up match, and Hansen says Charvis has the mental stength to handle the responsibility of leading Wales again.

"I don't think he's a Martin Johnson figure, but he's certainly one of our few world-class players," Hansen told BBC Sport.

"He's recognisable all over the world and he's respected by his team-mates.

"He's a reasonably mentally tough bloke and his performances of late have been outstanding."