Carlisle star Chris Harris says he will give everything to grab his dream chance with the British & Irish Lions.

The former Carlisle Rugby Club player is with the Lions at their training camp in Jersey ahead of this summer’s much-anticipated series against South Africa.

And 30-year-old Harris, who earned his call-up after impressive displays for Scotland and Gloucester, says he is still pinching himself at his opportunity with the famous touring side.

“You look and you just watch [previous Tours] and think, ‘Imagine being involved in that, that would be unbelievable’ - and now I’m here it’s just really crazy,” Harris said on the Lions website.

“It was a really special moment [when the squad was announced]. It was a moment that I was able to enjoy with some friends and it is one I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

“I wouldn’t forget it anyway but to have the [Gloucester] boys around me and jumping on me, yeah it was special.

“I’m just delighted to be selected, it’s an honour. If I wasn’t on other people’s lists then that’s fine but ultimately I’ve been given this opportunity.

"It’s an opportunity I’m going to grasp and do all I can to prove my worth.”

Harris, who attended Trinity School in Carlisle, is one of eight Scotland players named in Warren Gatland’s 37-man squad.

He is among 26 players who have assembled in Jersey ahead of the The Vodafone Lions 1888 Cup game versus Japan at Murrayfield on Saturday, June 26.

Their first tour game comes against Emirates Lions in Johannesburg on July 3, with four further games before the three-test series against the Springboks gets under way on July 24.