Channel Nine’s NRL Footy Show has been accused of racism over a segment on Thursday night’s program.

During a visit to Wentworthville in Sydney’s west for his regular “Beau Knows” segment, Beau Ryan stopped beside a woman of Asian heritage while she was taking a picture of three dogs in the glass door of a business.

“Picking out which one for dinner?” the 31-year-old asked before grinning at the camera.

The show then tweeted a nine-second video of the exchange, which was deleted almost an hour later.

The tweet was met with widespread criticism, including accusations it was “racist” and “moronic”.

Ryan also said in the pre-recorded segment that Wentworthville was a town of many cultures before asking two men of Lebanese and Chinese heritage of their nationalities, then quipping: “Lebanese and Chinese – wouldn’t have picked it.”

The segment went to air just a day after Queensland forward Sam Thaiday attracted criticism for his post-match interview on Nine, in which he said winning the opening State of Origin game was “a bit like losing your virginity”.