British Airways apologise after tweeting support for England rugby team ahead of Wales showdown

BRITISH AIRWAYS apologised for 'straying offside' after tweeting support for England's rugby union side ahead of their clash against Wales.

Eddie Jones' team play Wales at the Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli at 4pm this afternoon in the Autumn Nations Cup.

And the Red Rose's official airline partner BA had tweeted a good luck message in advance of kick-off.

It read: "Good luck to the England rugby team against Wales today."

But as 'English Airways' began trending on Twitter, the airline deleted the post and issued an apology.

It said: "We are proud sponsors of England Rugby but on this occasion we unintentionally strayed offside, for which we are sorry."

BA does not fly from Wales but does employ around 900 staff at three different sites in the country.

The initial tweet drew fury from Welsh fans and celebs alike.

Wales' health minister Vaughan Gething commented: "Good way to annoy 3m+ potential customers."

BBC News presenter Huw Edwards jokingly tweeted: "I love @easyJet."

And journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer noted the backlash by commenting: "Spare a thought today for the @British_Airways social media team's notifications."

One fan fumed: "British Airways wishing England luck against Wales in the rugby today is better than any other advert I've seen for Welsh independence."

Another added: "Its just plain offensive and their apology doesn't alter the fact that someone at BA thought it was a great idea to hope England beat Wales. Did they tweet similarly last week when they played Ireland?"

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