Gavin Henson has been recalled by Wales for a preliminary squad which prepares for a one-off test against world champions South Africa this month.

The British Lion is one of seven players in the 31-man squad who did not feature at the Rugby World Cup. Caretaker coach Nigel Davies has decided there is no place for World Cup captain Gareth Thomas as he gives some younger players a chance to press their claims.Will James also misses the cut - while Chris Horsman, Kevin Morgan and Dafydd James are all injured and Martyn Williams has retired.

Uncapped fullback Morgan Stoddart is included as well as Henson, Lee Byrne, Tom James, Rhys Thomas, Luke Charteris and Robin Sowden-Taylor.

Henson was one of the stars of Wales' 2005 Grand Slam, the same year he toured New Zealand with the British Lions, but he did not make the World Cup after failing to re-discover his best form following injury.

Davies will cut the squad to 24 on Sunday after the next round of Heineken Cup.

"Gavin Henson is one of the players who is in the category of needing a big game this weekend to convince us he is ready to return to the international arena," Davies said.

"He has been showing encouraging signs for the Ospreys, and it will be a tough test for him at Gloucester playing against Mike Tindall and Anthony Allen.

"We need him somewhere near the peak of his powers if we are to get the best out of him - and that is what we will be looking for.

"I've spoken to Gareth Thomas about our selection policy. Although he hasn't ruled himself out of the international reckoning, he has stated publicly that it is perhaps time for younger players to come through and make an impact.

"In this instance, I would tend to agree with him - especially in the light of the performances put in by Stoddart, Lee Byrne and Tom James so far this season.

"This could be a chance for us to have a look at how these talented young players cope with the pressure of performing on the international stage.

"That said, we still need a certain amount of experience to take on a team of the calibre of South Africa. With Martyn Williams retiring, we felt we needed to retain the unique talents and physicality of Colin Charvis within the group.