Scrum-half Care's yellow card in the 69th minute, for a shouldercharge on Marcus Horan, was particularly galling as, at that stage, Ireland only led 11-6.
Jones lifted the pressure with his fifth penalty but Scarlets replacement Jonny Fa'amatuainu was sin-binned in the 68th minute for a shouldercharge to give Perpignan further encouragement.
The game threatened to boil over in the middle of the half when the Fijians started producing some massive hits, Lockyer receiving the biggest when he was knocked backwards off his feet by a Jarryd Hayne shouldercharge.