England and Ireland players were given a stern warning by referee Ben O'Keeffe after tensions boiled over during the second half of their Six Nations clash in Dublin.

The visitors took an early lead when debutant Cadan Murley crossed after winning a foot race with Josh van der Flier to pounce on a loose ball.

Ireland hit back through Jamison Gibson-Park before the interval, but the boot of Marcus Smith gave England a five-point advantage at the break.

In the second half, a fight broke out when England gave away a penalty while trying to stop Ireland from breaking away down the left flank.

Both sets of players rushed in after the whistle had blown, with James Lowe seemingly kicking things off by taking exception to something Freddie Steward had done.

It prompted a swift intervention from O'Keeffe, who called over both captains and made it clear that any more incidents like that would not be tolerated.

Addressing the two players, he said: "I'm going to make it very clear and simple. When it's after the whistle, that's when I'm going to be yellow-carding players and they're going to leave the field.

"We're going to play rugby here, but if it's after the whistle, players running in and pushing, they're going to go off. Talk to your players now. I'm not accepting any of it."

O'Keeffe has been involved in his fair share of controversial incidents over the years. During the last Rugby World Cup, he was booed off the pitch following South Africa's win over France after making a string of dubious decisions.

He was also criticised for his display with the whistle during England's semi-final defeat to the Springboks, with Lawrence Dallaglio stating on ITV: "O'Keeffe is going to be the talking point as he's won them the game, not South Africa."

Reflecting on the two games, O'Keeffe later said that he became stronger as a result of the slander aimed in his direction.

"I took a lot out of it in terms of how I normally review myself, my game," he said. "I just had to understand what the environment was, what the situation was.

"It was a little bit uncomfortable the next two weeks in France, in Paris, being in public and that, but it was an experience that has made me stronger as a referee and has allowed me to go to another level in terms of what I want to add to the game."

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