You see a true team when our backs are against the wall
Maitland tips Warriors to handle Toulon test
LaYING d o wn a marker, sending out a signal, making a point. For Glasgow’s Sean Maitland, this Sunday i n the south of France is about more than just rugby.
Holders Toulon, led by Johnny Wilkinson and packed with worldclass names, are the opposition when Glasgow kick- off their Heineken cup campaign. The atmosphere i nside the 21,000 capacity Stade Mayol will be electric. The task could not be tougher. Maitland admits it will be ‘like walking into a cauldron’.
Yet do not be mistaken that this is defeatist talk from the five-times capped Scotland international. Maitland is i nspired by the prospect and by the opportunity to send out a message to a city where f ootball i s king, that Glasgow i s more t han j ust Rangers and celtic.
It can also be a statement of intent to those who would look to leave Scotland’s teams on the sidelines when they restructure
“A cup win in the south of France would be so special”
European rugby that they do so at their peril.
‘It would be a crazy feeling to be a part of a Glasgow team that goes down t o Toulon and wins,’ Maitland said. ‘I have been part of some special games during my career, but a victory in the south of France would definitely be up there.
‘It would be very special, not only for the club but also for the city. That’s because we have a goal in mind and that is for rugby to grow in Glasgow.
‘We don’t want to just hear about celtic and Rangers. We want to hear about the Glasgow Warriors and a win over Toulon in France would help make that happen.’
The French side certainly know how to crank up the atmosphere. Before each game, they stop the team bus 100 yards from the stadium and walk through the massed ranks of their fans with the strains of their own version of the ‘haka’ filling the air.
Maitland, however, is not one to be intimidated.
‘That sounds pretty cool,’ he said. ‘I am not scared, just excited by all that. I heard the atmosphere will be one of the best. Everyone is buzzing here at Glasgow.
‘It is something to enjoy. These are things that rugby players dream about. Going into a lions’ den, a cauldron with 21,000 fans inside when our backs will be against the wall. That is when you see a true team.
‘I believe we can handle that pressure and there is nothing for us to fear about going down to Toulon. They have a lot of worldclass players, but we are ready for them and can win.
‘ They are Heineken cup champions for a reason and have not lost at home for a while, but we are five-from-five in the Rabo Direct Pro12, are top of the table and feel we have the firepower to go down to Toulon and compete — and compete well.
‘With the row that has been going on about the Heineken cup, I suppose there is a pressure on us to justify our place in the competition, to show we deserve our place.
‘They haven’t had their best performances in their past few games. They have got big names on paper, but we definitely think we have the team to beat them.
‘These last few years, we have established ourselves in the Pro12, but we haven’t done too much in the Heineken cup.
‘ If you l ook at the l i kes of Leinster and Munster, to become a great team you have to make that next step to the top level of European rugby.
‘Edinburgh have done that, but not Glasgow, so that is something we are definitely looking to do. But we have a pretty good pool and we think we can make that next step.’
The reigning Heineken cup champions had a good start to their own Top-14 season and are currently j oint- top with Montpellier after five wins, one draw and three defeats.
But there is hope after Oyonnax and castres both toppled Bernard Laporte’s side in the last month away from home.
The chance to play in such a high-profile European club game was one of the reasons Maitland was lured away from canterbury crusaders.
‘I was always going to come to Glasgow because I wanted to play for Scotland, but the chance to play in the Heineken cup was a big motivator as well,’ said the man who was part of t he successful British and Irish Lions squad that beat australia over the summer.
‘ I t was a great experience playing in it last year and, although we didn’t qualify from our group, we learned a lot. This year we can make the jump into the knockout stages.
‘ We may have established ourselves in the Pro12 but, to be looked upon as a truly great team, you have to perform well in Europe.
‘People don’t really talk about the Pro12 being the strongest competition. all you hear about is the English and the French, but they will talk about Glasgow if we do well down in Toulon and go on and qualify from our group.’