A rugby referees Facebook page has been called out for a 'tactless' post on Mother's Day.

Northland Rugby Referees Facebook page posted a message on Sunday thanking mothers for washing their muddy gear and cleaning bags.

"Thank you for all you do for our members from cleaning out dirty gear bags, washing the muddy, sweaty gear to having Saturdays taken up all day with rugby," the post by the Northland Rugby Referees Facebook page said.

Former rugby player and Herald columnist Alice Soper called out the post on Twitter.

"Most tactless Mother's Day post goes to Northland Referees! Congratulations for keeping your Mum's sidelined."

It comes in the wake of New Zealand Rugby apologising after the All Blacks copped backlash for a "tone deaf" social media post on International Women's Day in March.

The team's bid to mark the occasion – an annual global celebration of the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of women – by posting pictures of Sevu Reece and Aaron Smith, two male rugby stars with controversial pasts, was labelled "a meaningless PR stunt" and "wrong on so many levels" by critics on Twitter.

The Twitter post, which included photos of All Blacks players alongside the women in their lives, was shared with the caption: "Forever grateful to all the women in our lives that allow us to play the game we love. Partners, mothers, daughters, doctors, physios, referees, administrators and fans. Appreciate you every day."

However, the Twitter post went viral for the wrong reasons, receiving widespread overseas coverage from publications like The Telegraph in the UK.

Fans were quick to condemn the inclusion of a photo of Reece, who admitted to assaulting his partner while drunk on the street in 2018.

Reece was discharged without conviction after a judge ruled in the Hamilton District Court that there were mitigating factors in his assault case.