Outcry as former rugby player posts selfie with Oscar

Cape Town - A 'selfie' taken of shamed Paralympian Oscar Pistorius by a close friend has provoked criticism on social media.

Click for the 'selfie' posted to Twitter

According to the Daily Mail website, the picture, taken by rugby player Brett Sharman and uploaded to his Twitter account, was quickly deleted after a furore erupted.

Sharman, who has been friends of Pistorius' since their school days at Pretoria Boys High, later denied the selfie, which included the hashtag #WeekendVibes! was new - but declined to say when it was taken.

“It was a stupid thing to do,” he told YOU magazine.

The picture is believed to be the first one taken after Pistorius was released from jail where he was serving time for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

The convicted Paralympian is currently under house arrest at his uncle's home in Pretoria where he is awaiting a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling after the state launched an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction for murder.

Sharman, who started out his career at the Blue Bulls before heading to the UK, is no stranger to controversy.

The 28-year-old hooker/flank was sacked by Northampton Saints for an offensive tweet aimed at Mo Farah on the night he won his second gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Sharman wrote on his Twitter account that day: Good luck Mohammed running for Paki... I mean Great Britain.

Although he was born in South Africa, Sharman is a qualified British citizen and holds a British passport and has expressed a desire to play for England.

In November last year Sharman signed for Saracens until the end of the 2014/15 season.