'Stupid' Wales hooker pats lion, gets bitten in SA

Johannesburg - Ospreys coach Steve Tandy called hooker Scott Baldwin "stupid" after the Welsh international put his hand through a fence and was bitten by a lion in South Africa.

READ: Cheetahs outsmart Ospreys in Bloem

"It was pretty stupid of Scott and he is pretty lucky," Tandy told reporters in Bloemfontein Friday as he recalled the incident in a game lodge before a PRO14 match.

"I do not know what kind of wildlife show Scott has been watching where you pat a lion on the head as if it is a kitten.

"It is probably one of the silliest things I have ever been involved in. Thankfully, he is okay and should be playing again in a couple of weeks."

Tandy cleared the game lodge of any responsibility, saying the visiting Welsh party were told not to stick hands into the lion enclosure.

"It was a good environment and we were told how far back to stand," said the coach. "It had nothing to do with where we were."

Baldwin, who had his wound stitched and cleaned, watched the Ospreys lose 44-25 to the Cheetahs, their fourth defeat in five PRO14 matches.

The 29-year-old hooker joined Ospreys in 2009 and has been capped 34 times by Wales.

Stroke the Lion it'll be fine they said! Here's @scottbaldwin2 petting a lion like it's a pet cat! pic.twitter.com/Y95FObGeJ5

— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) September 29, 2017