The Welsh Rugby Union has insisted Gareth Thomas broke no rules by going on tour with Wales to Australia instead of playing for his club, Toulouse. The French club are threatening to sue Thomas for breach of contract after he missed the last games of the season.

But WRU spokesman John Williams said: "The French Rugby Federation informed Toulouse that under IRB regulations, Gareth Thomas was free to tour."

Thomas captained Wales in both Tests against Australia, becoming Wales's most capped player with 94 caps and extending his try record to 38.

But Toulouse were unhappy the 32-year-old had been selected to travel last month, saying he was under contract to play in the final league games, including the end-of-season play-offs. The row resurfaced this week when Toulouse president Rene Bouscatel said the club intended to take legal action against Thomas, despite being told by the French rugby's governing body they were obliged to release him for international duty. "There will be no deal with someone who is ungrateful. I will have him," Bouscatel is quoted as saying.

Thomas was in his final year of a three-year contract with Toulouse, and has already agreed to join Cardiff Blues next season. He said: "I don't feel I've done anything wrong. The rules said I had to come on the tour. I still have a lot of respect for the club and the president."

Toulouse's hopes of winning the French Championship title ended on Saturday when they were beaten 20-15 by Clermont Auvergne in the play-off semi-finals.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has ruthlessly dropped three previously favoured players from his World Cup plans. Edinburgh playmaker Phil Godman was left out of the provisional training squad, along with Glasgow breakaway pair Donny Macfadyen and Johnny Beattie.

The trio had been expected to feature in Hadden's set-up following their involvement with Scotland A in the recent Churchill Cup.

There was joy for five players uncapped at full Test level - centre Calum MacRae, prop Al Dickinson, utility back Nick de Luca, winger Thom Evans and flanker John Barclay.

All teams are scheduled to declare their 30-man final squads by mid-August.

SCOTLAND SQUAD: M Blair, C Cusiter, N De Luca, R Dewey, M Di Rollo, T Evans, A Henderson, R Lamont, S Lamont, R Lawson, C MacRae, G Morrison, D Parks, C Paterson, G Ross, H Southwell, N Walker, Simon Webster, J Barclay, K Brown, D Callam, A Dickinson, R Ford, D Hall, J Hamilton, N Hines, A Hogg, A Jacobsen, A Kellock, G Kerr, S Lawson, S MacLeod, E Murray, S Murray, C Smith, A Strokosch, S Taylor, J White.