Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill says he will "seek clarification" into the punishment for punching after a controversial incident in his side's 22-19 defeat London Irish.
A 79th-minute Shane Geraghty penalty earned the Exiles a first win in 11 attempts over Tigers in the Aviva Premiership clash at Welford Road.
Tigers, who were missing 21 players with injury, suspension and unavailability, fought back from a 13-3 first-half deficit to take the game to the wire.
And while three missed kicks and number of silly penalties costs Tigers dearly, a first-half incident involving Irish back-rower Blair Cowan was a key point in the contest.
As Tigers flanker Jamie Gibson held an Irish forward around the neck area, Cowan responded by looking at the 24-year-old before jabbing him in the face.
Referee Greg Garner called for the TMO to review the incident and then watched it several times on the big screen inside the ground.
When he called the protagonists over afterwards, most of the 21,682 crowd expected Cowan to be shown a red card. But instead Garner just gave Tigers a penalty and play continued.
Later on in the second half, Garner did reach into his pocket to yellow card Tigers No.8 Jordan Crane for a shoulder barge at a ruck just minutes after the hosts had levelled the scores at 16-16.
"I need to understand from the officials what the regulations are if a punch in the face is just a penalty and a ticking off," said Cockerill. "I thought that was an automatic red card.
"Then a player drops a shoulder into someone who is lying on the wrong side and he gets a yellow.
"That was the difference in the game. I didn't think he (referee) had a good performance today and I am unhappy with the way that he officiated.
"That was a crucial part of the game. Greg Garner thinks it is okay to punch someone in the face and that is just a penalty.
"I could see it on the big screen from 50 metres away. Their player punched our player in the face. That's fine - if we are going to play by those rules.
"Next week, if our player punches one of theirs in the face, is that going to be just a penalty?
"If that is okay, we need to revamp that (the rules). In the semi-final last season, a punch in the face is a red card.
"That's not right. He needs to be accurate. I don't want any sympathy, I just want it to be refereed properly."
When asked if he had spoken to Garner about the decision's, he responded: "They don't speak to you or explain their decisions until Wednesday next week."
Away from the controversy, Cockerill said he was "not frustrated" with his team after a second successive defeat.
"We fronted up very well and it was a very tight game that could have gone either way. I am not frustrated with the team," he said.
"With the casualty count that we had, I cannot be anything but pleased with the performance and with 20 bodies missing, to go out there and nearly be good enough to win is testament to them.
"They had two or three players out and they beat us by three points. We dropped a kick-off and that led to their try and we missed points with kicks. That is not Freddie Burns' fault but it happens.
"It was not our set-piece that cost us. Again, we need to manage things better and we played too much of the game in our own half."
