Photo: Referee Jaco Peyper appears to mock elbow-throwing Frenchman he sent off

Referee Jaco Peyper has earned the ire of French fans after appearing to pose for a photo with Welsh supporters while mimicking the elbow that saw France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina shown a red card.

In the light-hearted photos posted on Twitter following Wales’s 20-19 win over France , Peyper was seen posing with a group of Welsh fans.

"Card fully justified, but after this photo I do wonder about the impartiality of the man in black,” was one of many comments on Twitter from French supporters.

The incident early in the second half was pivotal, with Vahaamahina being sent from the field for elbowing Welsh flanker Aaron Wainwright in a maul.

“Didn’t think there was any intention there,” Wainwright said . "I don’t know if there was afterwards either - could have just been a loose arm.

“Obviously wasn’t the best of situations for me.”

The red card proved a pivotal moment in the match, with Wales going on to win by a single point after Ross Moriarty’s 74th minute try.