Pontypridd RFC officials are calling for an inquiry into events leading up to seven of their players spending a night in a French police station.

The players were detained for several hours after a disturbance outside a nightclub in Toulouse.

The players faced an angry reception when they arrived at the nightspot following their European Cup defeat at the hands of Colomiers on Sunday.

Team manager Richard Hope said claims by the players that batons and CS gas spray were used against them are being investigated.

The club is calling for an investigation into why French fans were potentially incited by the parading of banned Colomiers prop Richard Nones before the match.

Nones faces a lengthy ban after an alleged eye-gouging incident in an earlier match against Pontypridd.

It is claimed trouble broke out at the weekend when the players were refused entry to La Bodega.

They were taken to a local police station before being released without charge back to the team hotel at 8am, a club spokesman said.

The incident is thought to have been sparked by the sending off Nones for alleged eye gouging when the two teams met in Wales last year.

Local fans and Colomiers players have been campaigning for the player's two-year ban to be overturned and Pontypridd faced a heated reception during Sunday's encounter, which they lost 38-21.

Team manager Richard Hope said the atmosphere at the Colomiers ground was "terrifying", with fans allegedly throwing coins and toilet rolls and spitting.

Mr Hope said he was not aware of any claims for damages to the nightclub.

"We will get to the truth of the whole thing."

Pontypridd players were also involved in the infamous "Battle of Brive" two years ago, when a mass brawl on the pitch spilled over into a local nightclub and a number of the Welsh club's players were arrested.

Pontypridd chief executive Cenydd Thomas confirmed that the club's players were involved in an incident outside a nightclub following the match.

He said the club would be speaking to the players and French officials to get a full picture of what happened.

We will interview the players individually and whatever action is appropriate, we will be taking it," Mr Thomas told BBC Wales.

"They went to the police station and were later released. There were no charges and they went back to their hotel.

"There has been quite a hostile campaign in France over the sending off of their prop and our club has become a target."