Al Charron will lead Canada in its first Rugby World Cup 2003 match against Wales at Telstra Dome in Melbourne on 12 October.
It will be Charron's 10th RWC appearance in his fourth Rugby World Cup, and it caps a remarkable recovery from knee surgery in June, which put his participation in this tournament in doubt.
As the only member of the only Canadian team ever to beat Wales, Charron's will act as the team's talisman. He scored the final try in the dying seconds of Canada's famous 26-24 victory over Wales in 1993 allowing Gareth Rees to kick the conversion which won the game.
He will lead a Canada side composed of seven others with RWC experience, and seven who will be making event debuts.
"Naturally I'm very happy to be back on the team, I didn't foresee this possibility when I damaged my knee but thanks to a great surgeon and great physiotherapists, I'm ready to go ahead of schedule," says Charron.
The world's longest serving current international, Bob Ross, who began his career against Ireland in 1989, will play fly half in his 56th international appearance.
"We've picked form players, who have recently demonstrated their prowess," says Canada's coach David Clark."These are players who will play uncompromising rugby and have been chosen for their toughness and perseverance. The mix of these qualities will hopefully give us more points on the board than our opponents."
"We've selected Charron. That is a statement in itself!" says Clark. "It says we are in the right place, with the right captain, and the right pre-match preparation. Now, we're just waiting for the right result."
"We have a good side picked to face Wales in our opening game," says captain Charron. "Wales have had their problems lately and so have we. Nevertheless, we will have to play at our very best to beat them if we hope to achieve a win."