Belgium won the game 18-10 but referee Vlad Iordachescu's performance on a boggy Brussels pitch infuriated the favourites Spain. "Following this meeting, a statement will be released to Rugby Europe Board of Directors for dissemination." World Rugby, the sport's international federation and the organiser of the Rugby World Cup, has also published a statement on its website and social media channels to say "it is in contact with Rugby Europe to understand the context of events relating to the Belgium v Spain match". Spain, ranked 19th in the world, travelled to Belgium hoping to seal qualification to the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1999. Romania lost 25-16 to Georgia in Tbilisi on Sunday but the hosts had already qualified for the Rugby World Cup thanks to their performance in the 2015 competition, and Romania earned their spot thanks to their marginally better record than Spain's over the last two Rugby Europe Championships.

Source: Evening echo March 19, 2018 15:09 UTC