"He was a doer, not a talker and a youngster who benefited from plenty of love and support in the home environment," Rowlands said.
Rowlands and Lawrence Te Pou co-coached the Hawke's Bay under-15 team which Harris played in at a 2007 national tournament in Wellington. Harris won the MVP award while catching the eye of the Storm talent scouts at the same time.
In 2008 and 2009 Harris played for Rowlands Tamatea premier side in addition to playing for the Hastings Boys' High School 1st XV rugby team.
"Tohu could play anywhere in the forwards and anywhere in the backs. He was one of those fellahs you wanted to give the ball to at any opportunity but at the same time we didn't want to put too much pressure on him because he was just 16."
In his last match for the Tamatea premiers at Kirkpatrick Park in 2009 Harris scored three tries and kicked two goals in a 54-12 win against Phoenix after scoring four tries in the reserve-grade curtainraiser which saw Tamatea beat Bridge Pa 42-24.
A month later he started his first two-year contract with the Storm and the following year was named MVP of the club's Toyota Cup under-20 team.
This success and Junior Kiwi selection saw Harris win Ngati Kahungunu's 2010 Junior Sportsman of the Year award.
In 2013 Harris scored a crucial try in the Storm's World Club Challenge win over the Leeds Rhinos in Britain and after an impressive NRL debut season for the Storm made his Kiwis' debut in the Anzac test.
At 23 Harris is a three-year Kiwis veteran and after playing all 80 minutes of the Kiwis' 26-12 Anzac test victory in Brisbane in May appears set for a lengthy international career.
"Whenever I catch up with Tohu I remind him that he can thank South Sydney for his success," Rowlands, 53, joked.
"I had a playing stint with Souths in 1985 and that's when I got infected with the game. I've been passing on that infection to the Tamatea club ever since I've been back."
Rowlands has no doubt Harris' father would have been an outstanding league player had he played both oval ball codes in his younger days.
"Paul had the ideal aerobic base and would have been a 50-tackle-per game player.
"In saying that there has never been a Harris who couldn't play their chosen rugby code," Rowlands, who will watch television coverage of Saturday night's match, said.
A former Hawke's Bay Unicorns and Hawke's Bay under-20s co-coach, Rowlands said All Black halfback Brad Weber and his Chiefs teammate Ben Tameifuna, who both played under-20s league for the Bay, could have followed Harris into the NRL but they opted for the 15-man code and went on to become under-20 world champions.
"I'm sure I will find another future NRL player soon from here in the Bay," Rowlands said.
While they didn't have to be like Harris was as a youngster, one of those one-in-a-million blokes who didn't drink, didn't smoke or didn't have a girlfriend it would be a pretty good start.
Rowlands predicted a 25-point win to the Storm and at least two tries from Harris.
