SEAN MAITLAND
Saracens winger targets ‘Europa League’ success
SEAN Maitland will leave it up to Gregor Townsend to decide when the curtain should fall on his Scotland career.
The wing, who turns 33 next month, is determined to get a flying start to the season with newly-promoted Saracens and put himself in prime position for the Autumn Internationals.
Maitland has 53 caps and is eager to add to his tally of 15 tries having been denied that prospect in the final Six Nations game with France.
Maitland had to sit out a memorable Scotland win in Paris due to a special agreement between the tournament organisers and Premier Rugby over the limited number of England-based players who could be selected.
New Zealand-born Maitland, whose disappointment and frustration lingers five months on, told TRP: “I’m a bit of a veteran I guess now but I still feel good physically and mentally. The six-week break has definitely helped me going into this season. I still feel I can compete at a high level.
“I want to play some good footie and I’m hoping to crack on with the international stuff.
“I just said to Gregor ‘tell me when my time is up!’ I told him to pick me until you feel I am not good enough. Give me a call and say you’ve done your job and it will be time to move on.
“But I still feel good and, touch wood, the body stays good. I was playing some of my best rugby and at a high level in the last Six Nations. Obviously you have to earn the right to be picked so I need to keep playing well for Sarries. Hopefully, I can get that chance with Scotland in the Autumn. Sarries know how to get the best out of me and what boxes to tick.”
Maitland adds: “I love playing for Scotland. It was strange last season playing at Twickenham one week and then at Cornish Pirates the next. It was a crazy old time.
“Now we are back in the top flight playing against the likes of Exeter and Harlequins, and having Bristol first up on a Friday night – and we have a couple of lads back from there.
“It’s going to be a huge game with a big crowd. They love their rugby down there, so what a way to kick it off. It will be just great to have all the fans back.”
A flying start by Sarries, with Maitland playing a major role, would certainly leave head coach Townsend penning his name on his team sheet for the four Murrayfield Tests against Tonga, Australia, South Africa and Japan.
And the prospect of being back among the English club elite, and bidding to regain the Premiership high seat, is ensuring Maitland and his teammates work themselves up to a mental and physical frenzy just a month away from the big kick off.
He also believes those clubs who hardly shed a tear when the north Londoners were relegated due to their financial irregularities, will be hell bent on stopping a second Sarries coming.
Maitland, who returned to training late having caught Covid along with his family, said: “That was not the ideal start! All the family got it and with three kids it was a bit of a nightmare as you can imagine. Stuck in the house for a long time.
“This was the first time in my career I felt I really needed a break especially after the last two seasons seemed to be molded together.
“Now it’s good to be around the boys again and it’s nice to be back where we feel we belong in the Premiership. We did the crime and paid the time. I’m sure everyone else is excited to have us back even if they probably hate us.
“For the older guys it would be pretty special to lift some kind of trophy this season because of how hard it has been the last couple of years.
“You can sense how excited everyone is by the way the young guys are pushing the old boys in training. They are keeping us on our toes.
“No one has really left and we have a wide range of internationals here plus the Lions boys still to come back.
“This club is used to winning trophies over the years and we want that to continue. The boys have been calling it the Europa League in training rather than the Challenge Cup, and we will be trying to win that.”