Sean Maitland thought it was going to be just like old times: a December date with Edinburgh, as was always the case back in his Glasgow days.
However, the 33-year-old wing, now very much a Saracen, picked up a groin niggle in training in the days before last week’s 18-15 loss away to Exeter. It is nothing serious, but enough to see him miss the visit to Sandy Park as well as the Challenge Cup double-header that brings Mike Blair’s capital charges to the StoneX Stadium on Saturday before Saracens travel to Pau.
“It’s really frustrating, because I’d had this one circled for a while, with the chance to bring back a few 1872 Cup vibes,” Maitland, who had three years at Scotstoun between 2012-2015, said. “I’m gutted, really, because I’ve already got the strength back in the groin and can begin running, but this game has just come too soon.”
Maitland has still been involved in preparation and insists that Saracens are taking this competition as seriously as they do every other one. Europe’s second-tier tournament is a long way from those three Champions Cup triumphs — Maitland scored a crucial try in the final of the most recent one, in 2019 — but Mark McCall’s men know this represents a major chance for further silverware after the tribulations of salary cap infringement, points deductions and relegation in recent years.
“Our mindset is to do well in this competition,” Maitland said. “It’s the first time we’ve been in the Challenge Cup for a long, long time [since 2010] and every competition, every game we want to go out and put our best performance in. That’s the way it is at this club. Over the next two weeks there are going to be opportunities for boys to put their hands up, there will probably be a bit of rotation, but at the end of the day, it’s a trophy, isn’t it? That’s the way we are looking at it.
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“Exeter v Sarries is always a big game, it was the first time we’ve played them since the [salary cap] scandal, since everything kicked off a couple of years ago. It was always going to be a tough game, but we didn’t play our best, still managed to stay in it and could potentially have won.
“We’ve always got a good defence, but it’s probably attacking where we want to try to get better against Edinburgh. When you come off a loss, you expect a reaction. We’ve had some good, honest conversations on where we want to improve.”
Maitland has been taken with the changes in Edinburgh’s approach under Mike Blair, whose coaching he experienced for several years with Scotland.
“He wants the boys to have a crack. Now they’ve got the artificial pitch [at the DAM Health Stadium] as well, that’s really fitting into that game plan. They’ve had a few great results this year and they’re playing some good rugby.
“They’ve traditionally always had strong forwards, but they’re now chucking the ball around and getting their wingers involved. The two Argentines [Ramiro Moyano and Emiliano Boffelli] have already made an impact, Darcy [Graham] is doing what he always does and now Blair [Kinghorn] is at 10 and seems to be growing in every game. We know it’s going to be tough.”
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Maitland started three games in this year’s Six Nations, producing one of his best Test performances in the win at Twickenham, staying on the wing against Ireland then shifting to full back for the hammering of Italy.
He was one of those who missed out against France due to the Premiership clubs not releasing all exile players for the rearranged fixture and was then not called upon for the Autumn Nations Series, with Gregor Townsend electing to take a look at the likes of Rufus McLean and Kyle Steyn.
After nine years when Maitland, the Kiwi-born wideman, has been an almost ever-present in the set-up it was strange to see a Scotland squad without him. If the man with 53 caps has his way, we will not get used to the idea anytime soon.
“Gregor called me before the squad was announced and we had a pretty good conversation,” he said. “Gregor told me that because the summer tour had been cancelled, he wanted to see how these boys go. But he also said this ain’t the door closing, keep playing good footy and maybe you’ll get a crack in the Six Nations.
“I would have loved to be a part of it. When you watch it on the telly, see the boys get a good result against Aussies, then the frustration against South Africa . . . I’m not going to lie, it was tough. But you get on with it, and I 100 per cent still want to be involved. I know I can still play at that level — it was only the Six Nations when I was playing some good footy. I just need to keep my head down and keep playing well.”
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Duhan van der Merwe, Graham, McLean and Steyn are all more eye-catching in attack, but Maitland’s amalgam of aerial skills, defensive positioning, vast experience and understated nous offers an alternative that is still compelling.
“I pride myself on doing the basics well,” said the man who toured with the 2013 Lions and might have gone again four years later had he not suffered the ankle injury which also caused him to miss the Champions Cup final win at Murrayfield.
“I don’t want to blow smoke up my arse, but every time I’ve put the jersey on, I haven’t let anyone down. I’m still keen to have a crack. Apart from this little niggle, the body is good, the mind is good and I feel really up for it.”
Saracens v Edinburgh, European Challenge Cup, Saturday, kick-off 3.15pm