The Irish rugby writer who called for a ban on the All Blacks' haka has been ridiculed online following Ireland's shock loss to Japan at the Rugby World Cup.
Award-winning Irish sport journalist Ewan MacKenna caught the attention of New Zealand rugby fans last week with a column for sport website Pundit Arena, where he said the haka gives New Zealand an unfair advantage and needs to stop.
"Why is the World Cup is still pandering to the dance?" MacKenna asked.
"That's unfortunate as New Zealand are justifiably big-headed enough without a massaging of their already massive egos.
"Yet even World Rugby have it in their rules that to not stand on your own 10-metre line and watch a bunch stick out their tongues and slap their thighs is worthy of a fine and a telling off."
A day before Japan's stunning upset, MacKenna, who has 31,000 followers on Twitter, posted that the World Cup was 'boring' and filled with 'pointless games you could have predicted 15 years ago'.
But perhaps his most embarassing take was deleted on the morning of the upset, where he suggested that Japan and Ireland shouldn't even be on the same field together, such was the gulf in class.
The social media reaction was predictably brutal.
MacKenna responded to the hundreds of confronting posts with a Tweet suggesting he was happy with the result.
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