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Video - Scott Baldwin is remarkably magnanimous about the lion who attacked him

By Ian Cameron
Ospreys hooker Scott Baldwin

Ospreys and Wales hooker Scott Baldwin says getting bitten by a Lions in South Africa was the catalyst to his improved form in recent months.

Baldwin was bitten by a lion while touring South Africa with the Ospreys in September.

The 29-year-old Baldwin met the press at Llandarcy ahead of the Ospreys derby match with Pro14 rivals the Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium this weekend.

Not unlike comic book hero Peter Parker - who was imbued with new powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider - Baldwin credits the lion's intervention in his very own transformative narrative.

Baldwin says he was where he needed to be on a 'personal level' and has now refocused his efforts on getting back into the Wales squad.

What's more, Baldwin says that pitchside banter relating to the incident 'brings a smile to his face'.

Ospreys face Cardiff Blues in Swansea and which will be an intense match-up between two sides with plenty to play for. Despite a slow start to the season, the Ospreys can still potentially make a Champions Cup Play-Off position.

The Blues will be keen to qualify automatically and their current hold on fourth place would be enough to make it into the Champions Cup if the Cheetahs finish above them.