That chap above is Scott Baldwin, and he has had himself a real shocker.

Baldwin was on tour with the Ospreys, who lost their PRO14 match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday evening, when he decided to get in some heavy petting at a game lodge.

His coach, Steve Tandy, realises just how daft the whole incident must have looked. Below from Sport24:

“It was pretty stupid of Scott and he is pretty lucky,” Tandy told reporters in Bloemfontein…

“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 also made sure to absolve the game lodge of any fault, saying that the players had been warned to keep their hands out of the lion enclosure.

We can thank former England international Andy Goode for sharing this video:

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

Come now, that’s just a lack of common sense.

Baldwin had his hand cleaned and stitched up, although I’m sure his teammates will give him stick for years to come.

[source:sport24]