FIRST the good news: No lions. Clearly the Glasgow Warriors players have been looking at social media.

That means they have learned from Scott Baldwin’s experience last week when the Ospreys hooker had eight stitches in his hand after being bitten in a game park.

The Scots are the latest team to head to the southern tip of Africa in the Guinness PRO14 to face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, but scrum-half Ali Price says they are far too focused on rugby matters to get out into the countryside.

So while Baldwin’s bizarre injury, when he tried to pet a lion and the animal objected, has made the headlines worldwide, the Glasgow players have been concentrating on adapting to the heat and altitude.

“I’ve just been training then chilling around the hotel,” said Price from Johannesburg, where the team are based. “A few people went to a croc farm but I don’t think there was any touching involved. All hands were kept behind fences.

“There’s been no lions but the weather has been really good. There were a couple of rain showers but when we’ve been outside during the day, it has been mid-to-high 20s, pretty sunny – it’s been a really good experience. Training has been good fun and I think everyone is looking forward to the game.

“Everything is a whole new environment for pretty much all of us. We’ve not had huge amounts of time off because it is a shorter week for us.

“We’ve still been out as a group and had free time where we can go and explore a little bit but it is more about being away together.

“In terms of exploring we’ve not done a huge amount – were here for the game on Friday, that’s the priority.”

They all know the focus has to be on tomorrow’s game. The Cheetahs have found their form at home, beating Zebre, Leinster and the Ospreys on consecutive weekends, scoring an average of 45 points a game.

“We’re all looking forward to it,” said Price. “They’ve hit their straps recently. They are a big physical pack, love their set-piece, and they’ve got a lot of gas in the back three. We see it as a brilliant challenge for us to keep going with how we’ve started the season.

“We’re looking forward to playing a nice, quick, open game which I think will suit both teams. It’s a massive challenge but one we are up to.”