Brian O’Driscoll Makes Headlines In New Zealand For All The Wrong Reasons
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Brian O’Driscoll has caused quite a stir in New Zealand.
The former Ireland captain was among a host of people in the game to criticise Sanzzar for not citing All Blacks prop Owen Franks over an alleged eye-gouge on Australian second-row Kane Douglas during Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup test at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Kiwi fans were (of course) not happy with this tweet and the former Leinster centre went on to further enrage them with a tweet sarcastically suggesting the All Blacks never partake in foul play.
O’ Driscoll subsequently deleted the tweet as many people interpreted it as description of the entire country of New Zealand as opposed to the fans having a go at him online.
Stuff.co.NZ, accepted the tweet wasn’t aimed at the entire country but were quick to discuss O’Driscoll’s remarks at length.
Perhaps Brian O’Driscoll has touched on a wider issue following his apparent dig at New Zealand, with figures showing fewer Irish people want to move here.
While Kiwis are big fans of Ireland, with more than 8000 people heading to the Emerald Isle in the past year and the number sticking around on the increase, the same can’t be said in the other direction.
Rugby legend O’Driscoll suggested New Zealanders have the All Blacks and not much else – at least from an Irish perspective.
They may also be accurate, if you’re an Irishman.
In the past three years, the number of Irish visitors to New Zealand each year has increased from 10,224 to 10,352. The number of people staying in New Zealand, however, is on a big decline.
In the year ending July 2016, 816 Irish residents had entered New Zealand with a work visa. Two years earlier, that figure was 1091, meaning the number of Irish workers coming to New Zealand had dropped by a quarter in only 24 months.
Soon after sending the tweet O’Driscoll deleted it, later describing it as “petty” to an angry New Zealander.
O’Driscoll did however did compelled to respond to Stuff, after their somewhat needless description of the article on their Twitter feed.
And it looks like this is far from over as O’Driscoll then tweeted the below with a notable asterisk.
#ShotsFired. Bring on November
