Rose’s advice prompted French referee Christophe Berdos to produce the lock’s marching order and a ban of five to ten weeks could be in order under ERC regulations.

And Ospreys forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys was quick to point out that the Welsh region had also been on the receiving end of such a punishment.

He said: “A very similar thing happened to Gavin Henson and, unfortunately, he got 10 weeks for that.

“We have a lot of admiration for Paul as a player. He’s a very iconic figure so it’s very disappointing for him. He could miss a large chunk of the season now.”

“He (Jonathan) was a little unsure of himself. He had a bit of a knock to the head and was unfit to carry on.”

Meanwhile O’Connell’s club and country teammate Mick O’Driscoll believes, on first impression, that O’Connell has been harshly dealth with.

He said: "I asked one of the lads on the bench what happened and they said it was nothing, Paulie just threw his hands in the air.

“That was all I heard. I didn't see any misdemeanours and as a second-row buddy, I'll stick with him.

“The ref saw an incident and he dealt with it the way he did. It's up to powers above me to sort it out. I can't comment on it because I didn't see it.”