Harris set to be fit for Radradra meeting
» GLOUCESTER Rugby centre Chris Harris has revealed he is set to be fit to go headto-head with Semi Radradra against Bristol Bears on Monday night.
Scottish international Harris was picked as part of Warren Gatland’s 37-man British and Irish Lions squad to tour South Africa this summer, but the 30-year-old missed Gloucester’s 31-7 victory over Northampton Saints on Saturday with a shoulder injury.
The Cherry and Whites travel to Ashton Gate on Monday night in the first league game of 2021 with fans in attendance and Harris looks on track to be involved.
Harris said: “I should be good to go this week.”
However, Harris admitted with a careerdefining tour on the horizon he will not be taking any risks with his shoulders, with Georgian international Giorgi Kveseladze making his first start since joining the club last weekend in Harris’ place.
Harris added: “I will just do a little bit of contact [in training] to see how that is and if it is not right I think it would be stupid to force it, but I will just see how it goes this week.
“It is a Monday night game so we are not in until Wednesday anyway so it is still a good amount of time [to fully recover].”
Harris, who has 28 caps for Scotland, but was somewhat of a late bloomer in terms of his rugby career, not making his Premiership debut for Newcastle Falcons until he was 24, and then international debut at 27 against Samoa in 2017, said becoming a Lion in 2021 hadn’t even been on his radar.
Speaking to The Rugby Pod, the outside centre revealed he had received the email notifying him he was on the longlist for the tour but didn’t even tell his teammates he had been given the nod.
That is why there was such an explosive reaction from his Gloucester teammates, who rushed to mob him, when British and Irish Lions chairman Jason Leonard read his name out on Thursday lunchtime as the Lions squad was announced live on TV.
The video clip of the moment has now gone viral.
Harris said: “It was probably the best day of my life a couple of days after when I had allowed it to all sink in and reflected on it because at the time of the announcement I was just mind-blown.
“Once it all had sunk in I was like wowee, this is really special.
“During the Six Nations, I wasn’t even thinking of the Lions.”
A star defensive performance for Gloucester against Radradra, who is widely regarded as the best centre in the world, will go a long way to further enhancing Harris’ reputation as he will now set his sights on earning a spot in the Test team to take on the Springboks.