France have called for World Rugby to investigate a photo of referee Jaco Peyper in which he appears to mock the elbow to the head that earned Sebastien Vahaamahina a red card.

Peyper sent Vahaamahina off for his brazen act of thuggery early in the second-half of Sunday’s 20-19 Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat by Wales.

In full view of Oita Stadium, the Clermont lock struck Aaron Wainwright in the head while France staged an attacking maul, leaving Peyper to make one of the easier decisions of his career.

But the South African official has now invited controversy after a picture emerged on social media showing him posing with Welsh fans and playfully landing an elbow on to the jaw of one.

“This photo if it is true is shocking and explanations will be necessary,” French Rugby Federation vice president Dr Serge Simon said on Twitter.