France rugby team to wear rainbow laces in support of Gareth Thomas after homophobic attack

The French rugby team will wear rainbow laces for their match against Fiji in Paris this Saturday as a show of support for Gareth Thomas.

The former Wales captain, who played for French team Toulouse for three years, was a victim of a homophobic assault in Cardiff last week.

Serge Simon, the vice-president of the French Rugby Federation, said the team were "all in with you in this matter".

"All of French Rugby is with you regarding the homophobic molestation you've been victim of," Simon wrote on Twitter.

Gareth Thomas played for Toulouse between 2004-2007. Credit: PA

"To show our support, the French rugby players will wear a rainbow shoe lace during the France - Fiji game on Saturday night."

On Sunday Thomas, who came out as gay in 2009, posted a video to Twitter in which he thanked the police and the people of Cardiff for their support following the attack.

He said he had opted to deal with his attacker, a 16-year-old boy, using restorative justice, when a victim talks to the perpetrator about the harm they have caused, "because I thought they could learn more that way than any other way."

Thomas added: "There are a lot of people out there who want to hurt us, but unfortunately for them there are a lot more who want to help us heal, so this I hope will be a positive message."