'Club is very close to my heart': Maitland extends Saracens deal

Out-of-favour Scotland winger Sean Maitland has signed a one-year extension at Saracens, the London club he has been with since 2016. A Saracens statement read: “The Scotland and British and Irish Lions winger, who recently made his 100th appearance for the club, has been a stalwart at StoneX Stadium since arriving in 2016.

“The 33-year-old, who has 53 caps for his country, is one of the most experienced members of the group and is known for his big-game pedigree which was shown when he scored in both the Premiership and European Cup finals in the 2018/19 campaign.

“The deadly finisher has scored 42 times for Sarries and after putting pen to paper, he will be eyeing up the half-century of tries in the coming months.”

Last capped at Test level in March 2021, Maitland said: “Saracens is a club that is very close to my heart and I am very excited to be here for another year. We have a special group here who I love being around and I truly believe we are on course to achieve our goals which is a huge motivation for all of us.”

Directory of rugby Mark McCall added: “Sean is hugely respected by everyone at the training ground, is playing as well as ever and has been a key member of our group during his time at the club. We are delighted he has extended his stay at the club.”

After Maitland had opted out from Scotland duty in January as he wanted to play and not just train with them, Saracens head coach Joe Shaw told RugbyPass. “He is brilliant, isn’t he? Sean is performing absolutely week in and week out when he has got the opportunity at the highest level and he is an absolute pleasure to coach. He is one of the most coachable people I have ever come across and there is no surprise that he is putting in performances like he is.

“He is someone that scores tries of course but there is so much more to his game, his physicality, his understanding of what to do in defence at different times, just that international experience. He has been around a number of years, Sean, not only on the domestic but the international front.

“What I see week in and week out is a man that just shows what he is like as a person with the amount of time that he gives to our youngsters coming through, the likes of Ben Harris who is learning his trade.  Sean is someone they can go to, feel really comfortable to be around and he gives them the best possible advice for them to go onto the training park and try and learn from.”