British and Irish Lions star drafted in to replace England back at Premiership heavyweights
Gloucester centre Chris Harris (centre right) with an inset of Ollie Lawrence (left)
Gloucester star Chris Harris has become the latest player to swap Cherry and White for Blue, Black and White for next season as he makes the move to rivals Bath.
The Scotland and British and Irish Lions Test player is another fine addition to Johann van Graan’s backline for next year, joining the likes of Santi Carreras and Henry Arundell in making the switch to the Rec.
He also joins as medical dispensation for Ollie Lawrence, who suffered a ruptured Achilles during the Six Nations.
Chris Harris to join Bath
Harris, who has 46 Test caps to his name at the time of writing, had become a mainstay in the Gloucester side since his switch to Kingsholm back in 2019. In his six-year stint, he notched 109 appearances in all competitions and scored 27 tries.
He was one of 19 players confirmed to be leaving Kingsholm at the end of this campaign, alongside the likes of Christian Wade, Ruan Ackermann and Gareth Anscombe and now becomes the second to make the move across the West Country to Bath.
Commenting on the move, Harris said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join Bath and get to play with some great friends and great talent.
“The culture translates on the pitch and I’m excited to get started.”
The centre also boasts 101 appearances for Newcastle Falcons after making his professional debut with the North East outfit back in 2014.
Bath’s head of rugby, Van Graan, added: “We are very excited that Chris will be joining us on injury dispensation for Ollie.
“Chris is a leader, and an excellent all-round player who wants to add to our fourth-year journey.
“I believe Chris’ best is yet to come and he will fit in very well with our family-first environment.”
Alongside the aforementioned Carreras and Arundell, Harris also follows Exeter Chiefs hooker Dan Frost and Bulls scrum-half Bernard van der Linde in joining the Blue, Black and Whites next season.
