Charvis excited by Newcastle deal
NEWCASTLE, England -- Wales captain Colin Charvis has signed a two-year contract with English Premiership side Newcastle Falcons from French club Tarbes..
The 31-year-old back row forward is set to add to his 68 caps with the imminent three-Test tour which sees Wales face Argentina (June 12 and 19) and South Africa (June 26).
Charvis got caught out by the restructuring of the Welsh game and moved to France at the beginning of last season after being rejected from all five Welsh regions.
But the switch did not affect his form, and he played a pivotal part for Wales during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2004 Six Nations.
"There were offers from France on the table but, having spoken to (Newcastle coach) Rob Andrew and seen the facilities at the Falcons, I liked their ethos," Charvis told the Falcons' website.
Andrew said he was looking forward to seeing Charvis link up with Semo Sititi in the back row. The Samoan signed for the Falcons last week, and - like Charvis - is his country's captain.
"I'm thrilled that Colin has agreed to join us, and I think he will add a massive amount to both the pack and the team as a whole," said Andrew.
"He's a proven international captain with a huge amount of experience, and his leadership skills will be a real asset to us in a back row."
Charvis's international career started with his Test debut against Australia back in December 1996, and he is now the fifth most-capped Welshman of all time - behind Gareth Llewellyn, Neil Jenkins, Gareth Thomas and Ieuan Evans.
