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'One of the best defensive 13s in the world game just now': The transformation of Chris Harris from Scotland nobody to potential Lions starter

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Gary Hutchison/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Chris Harris is surely a contender for the standout coming of age story in the Scotland ranks in recent times. For quite a long period his face didn’t fit with Gregor Townsend. First capped in November 2017, the initial 27 months of his Test career were dominated by fleeting cameos from the bench, eleven runs as a replacement in his initial 16 caps. 

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Now all has utterly changed. Since getting handed the No13 shirt for the February 2020 Guinness Six Nations win over Italy, the 30-year-old has been an ever-present at outside centre. That’s nine straight appearances in a row, with a tenth set to happen this Sunday against Ireland. 

Only Ali Price and Scott Cummings, who are both set for their twelfth consecutive starts, boast a greater selection consistency in the XV to take on the Irish. 

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Scotland’s Finn Russell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

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Scotland’s Finn Russell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Ryan Wilson

What gives? There was a time when the juggle between international and Gallagher Premiership rugby was too much of a challenge, the over and back across the border from Scotland to England taking a toll on his performances.

He told RugbyPass as much back in February 2019, a month that started with him scoring a Six Nations try off the bench in round one only to find himself not capped again until round five. 

“If you asked me last year I would have said I was more under pressure, but I have adapted to it now,” he said about the on-off relationship he was having with Scotland while playing club rugby in England. “It’s just part of the rugby career. If you’re part of international duty that is just the way it is. I have developed a lot since this time last year. I’m pretty comfortable in dealing with the situation.

“It was just the change of environment, the disappointment of not being selected for Scotland – which is still the case – but it’s just dealing with it better now. If you come back into the club and you’re still a bit down not being involved with Scotland, you have got to go and in a performance. It’s just a matter of how you deal with it.”

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Harris has since had a switch in clubs, moving to Gloucester after five years at Newcastle, and his impact this past year has been such that not only is he now a constant on Townsend’s Scotland team sheet but he is being touted as a potential Lions Test series starter later this year. That’s quite a transformation for someone who for quite a while was only a bit-part contributor at international level, essentially a nobody to Scottish fans and media.

Now though? “He is very consistent,” enthused Townsend when asked why Harris has become such a familiar face in the Scotland set-up. “You know you are going to get a lot of work rate out of Chris. He is an outstanding defender, one of the best defensive 13s in the world game just now.

“And he has worked hard on his attacking game. His running lines have improved a lot but also he has got more confidence in taking on the opposition with the ball in hand. We saw that in the last game against Wales when he had a couple of breaks out wide, so he is building an all-round game.

“He is one of our leaders defensively and he is a really good influence on those around him. It’s great he is available again this week. He played for his clubs last week. I thought he had a fantastic performance in their win against Wasps and it’s great he was fully fit for training this week.   

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“It has been a while since he was left out. He came off the bench at the start of the World Cup and the way he trained meant it was going to be difficult for us to leave him out. Since then he has worked hard to make sure that he doesn’t lose that opportunity and has played consistently well for us.

“I must say as well Huw Jones’ form this year has been excellent, so we feel with those two guys pushing really hard at 13 we have got a very good depth and different types of players as well.”

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J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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