Ref mic shows influence players had in big calls in Ireland vs England

Fascinating.

There were, however, moments which invoked ire from fans of both teams.

Ireland were denied a first-half try, after Tommy O'Brien was controversially deemed to have infringed in the air, while England also tried to claim that Tadhg Furlong should have received a second-half yellow card.

The ref mic picked up some fascinating conversations in the game, and showed examples of the influence players can wield, but also the authority of the officials.

Following Robert Baloucoune's first-half try, referee Andrea Piardi can be heard talking to Jamison Gibson-Park, who provided the assist for the Ulster wing.

You can hear an Irish player (presumably Gibson-Park) describe England's actions before the try as 'cynical'.

Piardi then awarded a yellow card to England's Henry Pollock for 'playing the 9', and also used the term 'cynical' to describe his actions.

You can listen to the moment at 1.20 in the video below.

The next example occurred in the second half, with assistant Pierre Brousset having taken over from Piardi, after the latter injured himself.

Maro Itoje implored the new ref to punish Furlong for what he deemed to be a dangerous clear out on Tom Curry.

The player and official went back and forth, with Piardi explaining to Itoje that it was 'just a rugby collision', as the England captain tried in vain to argue that this did not matter as long as there was head contact.