In the time since, the Gloucester centre has
featured in an incredible Calcutta Cup draw
and featured at his first Rugby World Cup, in
Japan in 2019.
His life as an international player coincides
with some pretty handy stats, too. Harris
has only been on the losing side seven times
in 22 games and was part of the winning
efforts, against Italy,
France, Wales (all in the 2020 Guinness Six
Nations) Georgia (in an autumnal warmup match) and Italy (in Autumn Nations Cup).

It’s been quite a journey for the former
Newcastle Falcons man, who hadn’t
reckoned on playing international rugby
until relatively late in his development.

Speaking to Scottish Rugby’s, The Front Row magazine, Harris said, “I went to Northumbria University, playing
for Tynedale in the final two years of that
degree and had a few run-outs for the
Falcons Academy. I injured my shoulder and
was out for the best part of a season, then
went on loan to Rotherham and that year I
made my debut for Falcons first team in the
European Challenge Cup [in 2014].

“I was playing between Falcons and
Rotherham for a while, coming in for
some European games and then just after
Christmas in 2014, I replaced Alesana
Tuilagi early in a Premiership game against
Saracens. I ended up having a concussion
so went off for an HIA, passed that, came
back on and scored two late tries, so as
far as debuts go it was pretty good – even
though we actually drew the game!

“That led to some more game time but it
was a slow burner, and then the season
after I got much more involved.”

That whirlwind to the top table of English
club rugby game was certainly not
something Harris had anticipated when he
embarked on life as a student back when
he was a teenager.

He explained, “Rugby
honestly wasn’t on the cards. I went to uni
when I was 18 and I wasn’t in any academies
or age-grade squads or anything like that. I
played county level but that was about me
until I went to Tynedale which was National
One, which seemed like a big jump up
to me.

“So when I finished uni it was straight into
Falcons academy stuff. I did Architectural
Technology so after that I would have
been going to be something along the
lines of that, something around the built
environment.”

With a degree to his name already, Harris
knows that it’s never been more important
for professional players to ensure they are
thinking about life after the game, whenever
that may be.

He added: “I haven’t looked at
my degree or what comes next but I’ll pick
it back up when I stop playing, dip my toe
in some capacity, although I’d like to think
I have a few more years left in rugby yet,
touch wood!”

Harris’ ascendancy to international honours
was as rapid as his rise to the professional
game, with Head Coach Gregor Townsend
picking him for Scotland duty only a couple
of years since making his full Falcons debut.

The centre, who can also operate on the
wing, explained: “I think from memory I got
a call from [former Director of Rugby] Scott
Johnson about my eligibility about a year
before I got selected for the 2017 Autumn
series. I remember I got a text from Gregor after a European game with Falcons saying
‘well played, just to let you know you’re
going to be named in the squad for the
autumn’.

“Coming into that camp I didn’t know any of
the guys really; I actually had a few run-outs
with Mike Blair with Falcons, which is funny
given we’re both part of the Scotland set-up
now – he was the only person I think I knew
in my first camp in 2017.

Harris made his full debut against Samoa in
that chaotic 44-38 win (a scholar of the
game, he immediately knows when asked
that fellow debutants that day were front row trio Darryl Marfo, George Turner and
Jamie Bhatti) and then earned a first start
against Wales in the following 6 Nations.

Further involvement around the 2018
Summer tour and Autumn Tests followed,
before he featured consistently in a busy 2019
schedule, including that aforementioned
Calcutta Cup feast at Twickenham and the
World Cup later that year.

On that competition, Harris recalled:

“The whole build-up to the World Cup, being selected in the initial squad and then gain selection for the final 31. I was over the moon with that, absolutely buzzing, and then to play in all four games was an amazing experience. It was obviously gutting the way we went out but that aside, it was an incredible 2019 summer journey.”​

If 2020 represents something of a shift in
sporting events, the return of international
rugby has been something of a saving grace
for players and fans the world over at such a
difficult time.

Harris has featured against Georgia, Wales, Italy and France since the sport resumed in October and says the mood around
the Scotland camp is ebullient, saying:
“There’s a real buzz despite circumstances
through coronavirus. But when it comes
to training and selection, everyone wants
to be involved over a really competitive
campaign.

“At centre, there’s a lot of competition with
myself, Langers [James Lang], Sammy J,
Squiggsy [Nick Grigg], Huw – we all want
to be playing but at the same time we all
get on pretty well so we talk about stuff
and better ourselves, which is part of what
makes a team better.”

With 22 caps already to his name and plenty
more to come, Chris Harris’ is a tale of a
player who has really taken to every rugby
challenge presented to him on his rugby
journey so far.

Listen to the Official Scottish Rugby Podcast with Chris Harris to find out more about his journey to international rugby.

This article is from the second issue of The Front Row digital magazine – available exclusively to NEVIS and MACDUI members.