A leading retailer has been forced to apologise for a racial jab at the Springbok rugby team over the weekend.

A Checkers store attempting to entice rugby fans into buying sweet treats ahead of the game in New Zealand displayed two cakes: one iced with the All Blacks silver fern and the other with SA's Springbok and Protea along with the demeaning slogan "Quota Squad".

On Sunday, Checkers issued a statement distancing itself from the message included on the Springbok cake - blaming a single employee for the embarrassing faux pas.

Without providing specific information, Checkers confirmed the cake had been displayed in one of its stores on Friday.

"It was immediately removed when brought to branch management's attention and addressed," the retailer said.

"It was a bad decision taken by a bakery employee and does not represent the supermarket chain's view."

The Springbok squad delivered a heart-pumping match against the All Blacks on Saturday, with Herschel Jantjies’s 80th-minute try securing the Boks a 16-16 draw.