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Sean Maitland signs contract extension at Championship-bound Saracens
By RugbyPass
Sean Maitland has provided relegated Saracens with a big boost by confirming to RugbyPass that he has signed with the Londoners for two more years and won’t – as widely speculated – be leaving to join PRO14’s Glasgow Warriors. The 31-year-old New Zealand-born winger had been expected to leave the 2019 Gallagher Premiership winners following their automatic demotion to Championship rugby next season following repeated salary cap breaches.
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However, rather than join a lengthy list of leavers of full-time and loan deals which includes Will Skelton (La Rochelle), Titi Lamositele (Montpellier), Nick Tompkins (Dragons), Ben Earl (Bristol), Jack Singleton (Gloucester), Max Malins (Bristol) and Matt Gallagher (Munster), Maitland has opted to stay with the Allianz Park club.
He told RugbyPass in a soon-to-be-published feature interview that despite speculation linking him to a switch to Glasgow, he has re-signed for two more years at Saracens but still has big Scotland aspirations and plenty to give at Test level despite dropping down to the second tier of English league rugby.
Having made a Scotland debut in 2013 and quickly earning selection on that year’s British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, Maitland has become a consistency Test level performer and he won his 48th cap in the Scots’ Guinness Six Nations win over Grand Slam-chasing France at Murrayfield in early March prior to the indefinite suspension of rugby due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking during the Six Nations about Saracens’ tumultuous season, Maitland said: “It has been tough. I don’t know what I’m doing yet (next season). I just need to work out a few things and get my future sorted pretty soon.
“Everyone has got different situations going on. I love it at Sarries. My other half loves it and we’re really settled there. I’m not getting any younger, so hopefully we can get it sorted in the next few weeks.”
