The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Harris in no doubt over Paris visit
There’s not a doubt in Chris Harris’s mind that Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations game against France in Paris will go ahead – because for him there can’t be any.
“It’s a weird one,” he admitted. “But there’s not been any doubt in my mind this game is going ahead.
“That might just be me, I don’t know. But that’s just been my focus. I’m not thinking about anything else other than going over to France and playing rugby.
“I’m not worried about it not going ahead. If you do that, then you won’t prepare properly.
“I would be pretty upset if we don’t play. I want to play for my country, so I’d be pretty devastated on a personal level.
“But again, if it’s not safe to play, it’s not safe, and if I have to go back to Gloucester and I’m not allowed to come back up if the game’s the following week, that’s out of my hands.
“We’ve just got to crack on and focus on the week, not let that be a distraction.”
There is a similar vibe to the week before Scotland’s final game of the last World Cup against Japan. Then, Typhoon Hagibis was blowing through Tokyo and the crucial contest in Yokohama was in doubt right up until the morning of the game.
“Yeah, I suppose it was the same when we played Japan,” recalled Harris. “I was still preparing and focusing on my role in that game then as well. That was bizarre because it was really torrential the day before the game. Then, on the day of the game, the sun was shining.”
In Paris Scotland are attempting to knock off the third of their long disappointments on away trips in successive games.
Wales fell at Llanelli for the first time since 2002, England were beaten at Twickenham for the first time since 1983, and now there’s Paris, where the Scots last won in 1999.
“It’s the confidence and belief you take from those results,” said Harris “You think to yourself: ‘We can do this.’
“We all still believe we can win the Championship.
“We’re obviously not focusing too far ahead.
“But if we can beat France, we’ve then got two home games to come. So it’s a good opportunity for us.”
France will be without 11 players due to Covid-19 on Sunday if it goes ahead. Key men like Antoine Dupont and captain Charles Ollivon will be missed, but those coming in are not unknown to the Scots, says Harris.
“France have a defensive system, an attacking structure and a style of play,” he pointed out.
“So we just look at that and how we deal with their threats and the opportunities that are there for us.
“They’re not going to be unknown players – this is international rugby. And we’re not going to overdo it by looking too much at individuals.
“But we know their style of play and that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
There were no further positive tests among the French camp yesterday, leaving them with 11 players and four members of the coaching staff affected by outbreak.
None of the players who tested positive will be available on Sunday if the game is played, even if some will have completed the isolation period.
Nonetheless France’s training schedule has been badly disrupted. The Six Nations’ testing oversight group is to meet on Wednesday night to decide if Sunday’s match should be postponed.
Their statement that the match should be rescheduled as soon as possible – probably next week – brought a strident response from Scottish Rugby.
The Scots stand to lose as many as 11 English-based players as next week falls outwith international player release protocols.
In the meantime Scottish Rugby confirmed the two remaining home games in the championship against Ireland (March 14) and Italy (March 20) will be played behind closed doors.
This follows the announcement from the Scottish Government of a return to the tier system against Covid-19 in April.
Andy Murray’s first ATP Tour appearance of 2021 ended in defeat to world number 83 Egor Gerasimov at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
Scotland’s two-time Wimbledon champion, still working his way back to form after undergoing hip surgery two years ago, went down 7-6 (8-6) 6-1.
Murray, who was unable to compete at the Australian Open after testing positive for Covid19 in January, instead played at a lower-level Challenger tournament in Italy where he reached the final before heading to France.
The 33-year-old may not get the court-time in his legs that he wanted this week, but he certainly got a work-out in a first set lasting an hour and 10 minutes against Belarusian Gerasimov.
Murray fell behind to an early break of serve but hit back to level the set at 4-4.
A double-fault gifted Gerasimov a mini-break in the tie-break and although Murray saved three set points, his opponent converted a fourth with an ace.
The second set was, by contrast, a one-sided affair with Murray winning just two points on serve as Gerasimov raced into a 5-0 lead.
Murray saved a match point as he finally got on the board but it was just delaying the inevitable as Gerasimov sent the former world number one tumbling out.
Gerasimov will play either Aljaz Bedene or Italian fifth seed Jannik Sinner in round two.
Eighth seed JanLennard Struff lost 6-3 6-4 to fellow German Peter Gojowczyk and the all-French clash saw wild card Benjamin Bonzi beat Lucas Pouille 7-6 6-2.
There were also wins for Dennis Novak, Jiri Vesely and qualifier Tallon Griekspoor.
At the Singapore Open, sixth seed Radu Albot beat Australian qualifier John-Patrick Smith 6-2 3-6 6-1, while at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, sixth seed Dominik Koepfer was knocked out by home hope Federico Coria 6-1 6-4.