Humphreys turns down chance to extend renaissance

The hooker is not for turning. No matter how much Steve Hansen wants Jonathan Humphreys to extend his emergency cover (and the Wales coach is very keen on that), the Bath man is not going to push his luck.

"There comes a time when your body will not let you play as you would like," explained the 34-year-old Humphreys. "My international future goes as far as the end of the Six Nations and no further. I will not be persuaded."

Humphreys had been drafted in to the Wales squad four years after making his last appearance at this level to try to help Wales restore something of their old flare and grit, following their humiliating defeat in Italy.

He was also given the captaincy for his Test comeback against England in Cardiff last month, and there was a notable improvement to the Welsh performance but midway through the second half of that 26-9 defeat he injured his left shoulder and has been out ever since. However, after passing a rigorous fitness test yesterday morning, Humphreys was named in the Wales team that faces the daunting prospect of trying to beat the Grand Slam hopefuls Ireland at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Humphreys said: "I have had a couple of weeks back at this level and I have really enjoyed them, but I said when I returned that it would only be short-term. And I meant it."

Humphreys is one of seven changes Hansen has made to the side which lost to Scotland. The line-up includes the Pontypridd loose-head prop Gethin Jenkins, but the 22-year-old finds himself on the right-hand side. Other changes see Rhys Williams move from wing to full-back replacing the injured Kevin Morgan, who is out for six months after damaging cruciate ligaments up at Murrayfield. Llanelli's Mark Jones fills the resultant vacancy on the right wing.

The deposed captain Colin Charvis makes his first start since the ruination in Rome, coming in on the blind side, with Dafydd Jones switching to No 8, and Gareth Llewellyn coming into the second row for Northampton's Steve Williams who drops onto the bench.

* Llanelli have issued legal proceedings against the Welsh Rugby Union to prevent the proposed new four-province structure. "We are not against change but if the Union does not face up to the fact that its option is dead in the water... we will miss the deadline that ERC [European Rugby Cup] has given us to come up with a structure for next season's Heineken Cup," the Llanelli chief executive, Stuart Gallacher, said. "The four-team regional plan would put Llanelli out of business and we will not allow that to happen."

WALES TEAM

(v Ireland, Millennium stadium, Saturday): R Williams (Cardiff); M Jones (Llanelli), M Taylor (Swansea), T Shanklin (Saracens), G Thomas (Bridgend), S Jones (Llanelli), G Cooper (Bath); I Thomas (Llanelli), J Humphreys (Bath, capt), G Jenkins (Pontypridd), R Sidoli (Pontypridd), G Llewellyn (Neath), C Charvis (Swansea), M Williams (Cardiff), D Jones (Llanelli). Replacements: M Davies (Pontypridd), M Madden (Llanelli), S Williams (Northampton), G Thomas (Bath), D Peel (Llanelli), I Harris (Cardiff), M Watkins (Llanelli).