Thomas gets Toulouse move

Wales' record try-scorer has spent his first week training with his new club Toulouse, and said things could not have worked out better for him.

"It's been fabulous so far; people have not been able to do enough for me," he told BBC Sport.

"I've got a lot to prove and I'm quite in awe of the lot of the players, but they've welcomed me with open arms."

Thomas received the all-clear from the Welsh Rugby Union to officially join Toulouse on Friday.

The WRU had been in dispute with the 16-time French club champions over a �100,000 transfer fee, but all negotiations have ended amicably and Thomas can now concentrate on trying to impress his new team-mates.

And he realises he faces a battle to force his way into a side that is already full of international stars.

"The players are all on the same wavelength," said Thomas. "They don't think they're any better any anyone else.

"They just want Toulouse to be a good team and want to win every game they play.

"They're all pushing in the same direction regardless of what they've achieved in their careers."

When you come to a place like this you can't help but admire the beauty of the place Gareth Thomas on his new home

The 29-year-old full-back admitted his new home in the south-west of France is a world away from his south Wales roots, and the language barrier will be a difficult one to overcome.

But the upheaval has gone smoothly so far, he said, and he has even begun to appreciate some French architecture.

"Toulouse is a stunning place. The city is absolutely beautiful. The president of the club is the mayor of culture for the city and he takes great pride in the city," Thomas added.

"It's fantastic to see some of the buildings. To be honest I'm not one for culture - I've never been too fussed with it.

"But when you come to a place like this you can't help but admire the beauty of the place. It's absolutely amazing.

"Bridgend will always be a beautiful place for me because it's where I've been brought up and it'll always be my home - you'll never be able to take that away from me.

"But it's a completely different place here. I didn't realise how big a city it actually is. There's so much stuff to see and people are so welcoming, regardless if you play rugby or not.

"The language has been tough. I had a lot of lessons in Wales before coming just to give me the basics.

"The players I've met have got very good English but I want to learn to speak the language and I think it'll be easier to now that I'm actually here and hearing it most hours of the day.

"But it's not a case that I can't interact with the players because I can speak my little bit of French and they can speak their little bit of English and we get along like that."