The former Welsh official was renowned for his player interactions and efforts to ensure rugby was played in the right spirit of the game.

It’s been a tough season for Racing 92, with them currently sitting in 11th place in the Top 14 following their 28-24 defeat to fellow struggler Perpignan, with Le Garrec’s actions the latest negative in their spiralling campaign.

The evident ‘dive’ that saw the French player run softly into Perpignan’s Bruce Devaux was not only a bad look for the sport but also saw time wasted in the match due to the medical attention.

The event has seen calls for Le Garrec’s suspension and caused uproar in the sport, with acts of simulation becoming all too regular.

Owens has long been an advocate for the standards, morals and respect of rugby being upheld, with him famously quoting through the referee mic that the sport ‘is not soccer’ following a similar incident while he was in charge.

Having seen the replay of Le Garrec’s actions where he held his face in an attempt to buy a penalty for the team, the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final referee made his opposition to the incident known.