Lewis Evans has been announced as the new captain of Newport Gwent Dragons, replacing Luke Charteris who joined Perpignan in May.
Evans has come through the ranks at the Dragons, and the back-rower insists he will fight as hard for the team as he has been.
"I want to ensure that I'm selected on my own merit and if I want to be pushing for international selection I need to be able to stand up alongside the best," Sky Sports News quotes Evans as saying.
"Like most young players I aspired to captain the regional side, but to be doing it at a young age is more than I would have dreamed of. Having said that, we know what our goals are - to make Rodney Parade a fortress and pick up those crucial wins on the road so I'm as focused as ever on the job in hand."
Evans was named in the Wales squad in November 2011.