Sean Maitland is Scotland’s
‘Kilted Kiwi’, a Super Rugby convert who now crafts his trade at the Glasgow
Warriors. For 31 minutes against Ireland, two weeks ago, Sean
was one of Scotland’s shining lights before a cruel twist of fate shattered his
2014 RBS 6 Nations hopes. Since that day his team have been under a huge amount
of scrutiny and have been heavily criticised by the media. Last Friday (14th) I caught
up with the man himself to find out how his recovery was progressing and to understand
a little more about the current state of Scottish rugby from inside the camp.
Whilst it was clear to all of us
watching the match against Ireland that Sean had injured his leg quite badly it
was not so apparent to the man himself;
“The first thing I had to worry about was the fact that I might have had a concussion, I don’t remember too much about the game or what had happened to me. It was only when I saw the footage that I understood why my knee had flared up… the landing looked quite awkward. I had a scan and they told me that I could be out for 6 – 8 weeks.”
Obviously Sean’s injury means that he is now watching his team ‘from afar’ and I was interested to understand his perspective on the performance at Murrayfield, against England, that has caused so much uproar in the world of rugby;
“It was a really tough watch. We didn’t show too much of our potential or perform how we have been in training, which is disappointing. I know how hard the boys are trying, the effort and dedication is huge, but it just didn’t come together on the pitch. The good thing is about rugby is there is always another chance to put things right, to prove to yourselves and to everyone else that you can do it”
For his team-mates this chance comes in the form of a trip to Rome and Sean shared with me his views about impending fixture;
“Playing Italy in Rome is always challenging, and despite losing their first two matches they’ve got some momentum behind them. However it really isn’t about focusing on them, instead the focus will be on ourselves to play to the level that we know we can and put in a performance that we are proud of.”
Whilst it is desperately disappointing that Sean isn’t out there on the pitch, as you’d expect he is fully behind his team-mates and is eager to remind individuals not to be too short-termist in their views.
“A lot of people have short memories and seem to forget that we did come 3rd last year.”
Both Sean and Scotland both have a tough few weeks ahead as rehab takes time, whether it be mending an injured knee or an injured team, and whilst it may not always feel like progress is being made, given focus, determination and a little bit of expert guidance a knee or a team can heal quickly and come back stronger. Scotland have a huge challenge ahead of them, their performance against Italy will be a defining moment for the squad as it will either singlehandedly answer all of the criticism that has been levelled against them or induce more. For what it is worth I sincerely hope that it does the former.
“The first thing I had to worry about was the fact that I might have had a concussion, I don’t remember too much about the game or what had happened to me. It was only when I saw the footage that I understood why my knee had flared up… the landing looked quite awkward. I had a scan and they told me that I could be out for 6 – 8 weeks.”
Obviously Sean’s injury means that he is now watching his team ‘from afar’ and I was interested to understand his perspective on the performance at Murrayfield, against England, that has caused so much uproar in the world of rugby;
“It was a really tough watch. We didn’t show too much of our potential or perform how we have been in training, which is disappointing. I know how hard the boys are trying, the effort and dedication is huge, but it just didn’t come together on the pitch. The good thing is about rugby is there is always another chance to put things right, to prove to yourselves and to everyone else that you can do it”
For his team-mates this chance comes in the form of a trip to Rome and Sean shared with me his views about impending fixture;
“Playing Italy in Rome is always challenging, and despite losing their first two matches they’ve got some momentum behind them. However it really isn’t about focusing on them, instead the focus will be on ourselves to play to the level that we know we can and put in a performance that we are proud of.”
Whilst it is desperately disappointing that Sean isn’t out there on the pitch, as you’d expect he is fully behind his team-mates and is eager to remind individuals not to be too short-termist in their views.
“A lot of people have short memories and seem to forget that we did come 3rd last year.”
Both Sean and Scotland both have a tough few weeks ahead as rehab takes time, whether it be mending an injured knee or an injured team, and whilst it may not always feel like progress is being made, given focus, determination and a little bit of expert guidance a knee or a team can heal quickly and come back stronger. Scotland have a huge challenge ahead of them, their performance against Italy will be a defining moment for the squad as it will either singlehandedly answer all of the criticism that has been levelled against them or induce more. For what it is worth I sincerely hope that it does the former.
