Scotland manager Gregor Townsend has confirmed that Chris Harris of the Newcastle Falcons will start in their Six Nations opener against Wales, according to a report on the Belfast Telegraph.
Harris will make his first start for Scotland as Townsend names him in the outside centre position, partnering Huw Jones.
Twitter: See your Scotland team to face Wales this Saturday ? #AsOne https://t.co/oDa2HhlucE (@Scotlandteam)
Harris has made one substitute appearance for Scotland against Samoa but will be relishing the opportunity to start this weekend.
Harris has been working hard in training and has been concentrating on catching the eye of the coach, who revealed that he has seen a spark in him that convinced him to give him the starting spot.
Townsend said:
We’ve been really impressed with him overall. He’s been very consistent. Defensively he’s stood out – and a massive part of winning games, being successful, is having a strong defence, and he’s shown that this year.
Harris is the immediate replacement for Alex Dunbar, who misses out due to a concussion but Townsend has been watching the 27-year-old closely in recent weeks.
We’ve been really impressed with him in the last two or three weeks before coming to camp, and with the unavailability of Alex Dunbar and Duncan Taylor, he gets an opportunity to start for us at 13.
The Scotland camp is feeling quietly confident of ending England’s dominance in the tournament for the past two years. With Townsend in charge, the team looks a lot stronger and many believe this the best chance that they have of winning the Six Nations.
