The pressure on him to produce coming into a winning Lions team is “a privilege” for Scotland centre Chris Harris who will make his test debut for the tourists in Saturday’s second test against the Springboks.
The physical centre is one of three changes made to the starting line-up from the team that won 22-17 last Saturday. Harris joins Stuart Hogg and Duhan van der Merwe in the starting line-up. Ali Price and Rory Sutherland, starters on Saturday, drop to the bench this week.
Taulupe Faletau is preferred to Hamish Watson on the bench as head coach Warren Gatland shows – to form – he isn’t afraid to change a winning team.
‘No inkling’ that a changes was to be made
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— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 27, 2021
Harris in for Elliott Daly at outside centre always looked a possible call for the management but the players, sitting beside each other as the team was announced, hadn’t an inkling, said Harris.
“When a team wins you think they will go with a similar sort of team,” said the centre. “Maybe there might be a couple of changes.
“We had training in the day and it was hard to tell what the team would potentially be. It was a surprise, a nice surprise for me. I was a bit taken aback when my name was read out by Warren, but I am absolutely delighted.”
‘I want to give the best version of myself’
Coming into a winning team gives him confidence, he thinks.
“Pressure is a privilege isn’t it?” he continued. “It is an opportunity for me to go out there and really show what I am about, contribute my game to the team. It’s my first test, I just want to go out there and give the best version of myself.”
The support given by Harris to Daly when the Englishman was picked for the first test was reciprocated when the team was announced to the squad.
“Elliot was the first to congratulate me,” said Harris. “It was a similar thing for me last week when the team was named.
“I wasn’t named in the squad at all last week. Of course I felt really deflated but it is part of professional sport and this environment. It is all about how you are going to react to it.
“I congratulated Elliot last week and he congratulated me this week. That is the best way to react to that situation.
“If you become a bit bitter and you switch off it doesn’t look good on you, and you are not testing the team that is going to go out there and play against South Africa.
“It is tough to take and I had to deal with it last week. You have to just get over that. Push on and train to the best of your ability. Show you want to be in that jersey and in that 23.”
‘We know the Springboks will be a lot more hungry’
Warren Gatland on Chris Harris: "We’re expecting him to be direct. We weren’t disappointed with Elliot’s game, it was just difficult to get into any attacking shape. They were very direct. We’re expecting more of the same."
— Simon Thomas (@simonrug) July 27, 2021
Although it’s an altered team, the mindset doesn’t change.
“We’re going out there to win,” he said. “We know the Springboks will be a lot more hungry. They have to win. They’ll want to be that extra bit physical – we’ve got to match that and give a bit more.
“We can’t just rely on the fact that we’ve had one win and then think ‘If we lose this week there’s still another chance the week after’.
“I don’t think that comes across well from a mindset perspective.”
‘I’d like to think my play did the talking’
There’s little question that Harris has two advocates on his side in assistant coaches Gregor Townsend and Steve Tandy, who have come to rely on him so much for Scotland.
“I’ve a lot to thank Gregor for, giving me that chance to play for Scotland in 2017,” he said. “It was a slowish start, but he kept giving me opportunities, and it’s worked out pretty well.
“I’m not in that selection room. I’d like to think my playing and work in training did the talking. Obviously Gregor and Steve both know me better than the other coaches do, so maybe it has helped my chances.
“But I’d like to think it’s me as a player showing Gats and the other coaches that I deserve the opportunity.”
Lions team for the second test: Stuart Hogg (Exeter and Scotland); Anthony Watson (Bath and England), Chris Harris (Gloucester and Scotland), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster and Ireland), Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester and Scotland); Dan Biggar (Northampton and Wales), Conor Murray (Munster and Ireland); Mako Vunipola (Saracens and England), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter and England), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster and Ireland); Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys and Wales, capt), Maro Itoje (Saracens and England); Courtney Lawes (Northampton and England), Tom Curry (sale and England), Jack Conan (Leinster and Ireland).
Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets and Wales), Rory Sutherland (Worcester and Scotland), Kyle Sinckler (Bristol and England), Tadhg Beirne (Munster and Ireland), Taulupe Faletau (Bath and Wales), Ali Price (Glasgow and Scotland), Owen Farrell (Saracens and England), Elliot Daly (Saracens and England).