Mark is the man to lead Wales

Wales have appointed a new captain with a real head for figures.

Mark Taylor, a chartered accountant by profession as well as playing rugby for Swansea, will take over for the home matches against America, Samoa and South Africa next month, filling the vacancy caused by David Young's absence until December following a calf operation.

While coach Graham Henry plans to revert to veteran Cardiff prop Young for the Six Nations, Taylor is very much the man for the future.

In promoting one of the best centres in the British game from the ranks, Wales are clearly grooming him for the next World Cup in 2003. Taylor, whose father Ivor was a stalwart member of Ray Prosser's Pontypool team of 20 years ago, is already in line for one of the two outside centre positions on the Lions tour of Australia next summer.

A native of Blaenavon in the Gwent valleys who has the distinction of scoring the first try at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Taylor is not exactly experienced in the art of captaincy.

He has done it only twice, for Swansea in a midweek 'friendly' against Llanelli and for Wales in last season's match against the French Barbarians. He said: 'Captaining Wales is a massive privilege, although it hasn't been an over-riding ambition. With this being such a big season, getting on the Lions tour has been a bigger aim.'