Conor Murray has launched a stout defence of Tadhg Beirne after the Munster lock was accused of diving in the Reds' Champions Cup quarter-final victory over Edinburgh last Saturday.
Beirne fell to the ground at a crucial moment in the encounter following contact from Edinburgh prop Pierre Schoeman - and a penalty to the Scottish club was overturned.
As a result of the penalty awarded to Munster instead, Keith Earls scored a vital try.
But in the face of flak on social media and from pundits in the wake of the incident, Murray remains defiant.
The Ireland scrum-half said: "I didn't see it at the time, I was obviously playing and to get that penalty...(Jaco) van der Walt as going to kick that (Edinburgh penalty) from 40 metres.
"That was going to be a big moment in the game, they'd have gone six points up.
"So, to have that reversed was great from our point of view.
"Anyone from any team, if that happened for you you'd be happy for it.
"Looking back on it, the first time I saw it was in slow motion and it looks like he went down quite easliy. He did.
"But real-time, it's a penalty. It's more than an elbow tip - it's a shoulder. Pierre Schoeman eyes up Tadhg and gives him a shoulder. He's a big man. It's definitely a penaly, by the letter of the law.
"You'd have to ask Tadhg how badly he was hurt, I didn't have interest in asking him. We'd just won the game. I was happy enough with that.
"We're aware there's a bit being made of it, ex-players have talked about it but maybe if he didn't stay down the ref might not have gone back and had a look at it.
"But it was a penalty, it was a catch-up defender that you see so often... I'll give you Tadhg's number if you want to ask him how badly he's hurt".
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