Dafydd Jones will make his debut for Wales against Fiji tomorrow and the young forward believes he is ready to make the step-up to international rugby.

The 23-year-old is among seven changes to the side that defeated Romania 40-3 last week.

He has already toured with the Wales Development Squad, played national Sevens and represented Wales A three times.

And Jones believes the time has come for him to tackle the international game.

"I played three games last year for the A's and they were all typical hard games," he said.

"I played in the European Cup with Llanelli and they have all been tough games. So now I'm stepping up to international rugby and I think I'm ready for it."

Fiji opened their five-match European tour with an impressive 74-16 win over Pontypool last week.

After Wales, Fiji face Ireland and Scotland A, completing their tour against Scotland at Murrayfield on November 24.

They are yet to defeat Wales in four attempts but Jones knows the home side will need to be at their best to ensure they maintain their unbeaten record.

"They're very big, they're very fast and they love to play with the ball," he said. "So we'll have to be on our toes on Saturday and hopefully things will go well."

Wales coach Steve Hansen is continuing a rotation policy with his team, which also faces Canada and the All Blacks in the coming weeks.

He is also trying to settle on his preferred line-up ahead of the 2003 World Cup in Australia.

"It's an opportunity to see Dafydd Jones go from the training field to the playing field and see if he can actually do what he's been doing so well in training in a game situation," said Hansen.

"He's someone we see playing a big part in the future."

Jones admits he would love to be in the team next year and knows his fate is in his own hands.

"I'm just chuffed to be a part of it, " he said. "It's up to me now, hopefully I can grab my opportunity come Saturday. It's a big challenge and I'm looking forward to it."

Wales were unconvincing against Romania last week, with only a bunch of late tries setting up the flattering final margin.

Jones admits the team must improve tomorrow if Wales are to overcome the flamboyant Fijians.

"We'll be looking for a step up in performance from the Romania game, " he said. "And we want to pick up the tempo of the game and take it from there."