Spanish players attacked a referee after they believed he cost them a chance for direct qualification to the Rugby World Cup.
Romanian referee Vlad Iordăchescu was confronted after Spain lost 18-10 to Belgium in Brussels, meaning Romania qualifies for the Cup in Japan next year.
In the driving seat with a game in hand over Romania, Spain needed to defeat Belgium in the final round of European qualification matches to confirm their place.
However, Belgium raced into a 15-0 lead and, despite a late fightback, Los Leones could not finish the job off, meaning they will now face the play-off route.
The Spanish players, aggrieved at the end of the game, jostled the Romanian official in what were ugly scenes.