A massive congratulations from Tynedale RFC to ex-player Chris Harris on his selection for the 37-man British and Irish Lions squad to tour South Africa this summer.

Cumbrian Chris joined us in 2011 from his home club Carlisle when he moved east to study architecture at Northumbria University. Chris played for Tynedale over three seasons between 2011 and 2014 (playing 47 matches and scoring 22 tries) before signing for Newcastle Falcons.

Well Done Chris, a tremendous well-deserved achievement.
Enjoy the Lions experience - you’ll have plenty of support from up and down the Tyne Valley.

CLICK HERE to view the moment Chris finds out he's going to be a Lion (venue Gloucester Tea Room)

Chris's profile from the Lion's website
An athletic and intelligent centre, Scotland’s Chris Harris is rewarded for an excellent season with a maiden British & Irish Lions call-up this summer.
Best known for his defensive aptitude, Harris has thrived under Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and defence coach Steve Tandy in the last 18 months – both of whom will also be coaching him in South Africa.

Since making his Scotland debut in 2017, Harris has accumulated 28 caps and become a key figure in the heart of their midfield.

He only signed a professional contract four years before that, joining Newcastle Falcons in 2013 after impressing at National League side Tynedale while studying architecture at Northumbria University.
He completed his degree in 2013 and a year later made his mark in the Premiership 7s competition, with a try in each of Newcastle’s three group games.

Harris made his Premiership debut in December 2014 and scored two tries against Saracens and a series of consistent performances saw him earn a first Scotland call-up in 2017.
He made his debut off the bench against Samoa and then his Six Nations debut against Wales a year later.
2019 was a big year for Harris, who played in all four games for Scotland at the World Cup and moved to current club Gloucester.

He has gone from strength to strength since, playing in all nine of Scotland’s matches in 2020 and all five in 2021 to date, including the 11-6 win away to England in February and the 27-23 win in Paris in March.

CLICK HERE to view the official "The Lions are Special" video.

Tynedale's First Lion
Chris is in fact not the first British Lion to have played for Tynedale as the Club records show that Noel Humphreys toured South Africa with the British Isles in 1910, while playing stand-off for Tynedale. I suspect a lot of things were a little bit different back in 1910.
CLICK HERE to view more on the story of Noel Humphreys.