THE last pieces in the jigsaw are falling into place right on cue. When Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour take the field tonight, every eligible member of Scotland’s World Cup squad will have played in the warm-up series, leaving only Josh Strauss to complete his residency qualification before being capped in the tournament itself.
Seymour would have played earlier in the series but for a troublesome back, and always seemed certain to be able to play in the World Cup. For Maitland, by contrast, it was touch and go, and, while he was always hopeful of recovering on time from the shoulder injury that has kept him out of action since late January, it was only in the last few weeks that the medical staff gave him the all-clear.
“I’ve been out for seven months, quite a while, so I’m just incredibly grateful that Vern and the coaches have given me an opportunity to get back out there and have a run around,” said Maitland, who starts at full-back against France rather than his more familiar position on the wing. “There were times in the last nine weeks when we did have doubts. But over that time I’ve worked bloody hard with the physios and the rest of the staff to get back into shape.
“Yeah, there were times when I thought: ‘Man, I’m not going to make it.’ But then you get to a point where you turn a corner, started going uphill. It’s feeling good.
“I don’t know what the exact turning point was - maybe just getting a bit of strength back in the weight room, gaining confidence. Two weeks ago I did a bit of tackling, surprised myself how good it was, and when I saw the surgeon he gave me the all clear. That was the big difference.”
Rugby players are so beefed up these days that even being tackled by one player can do a lot of damage. Maitland was stopped by three Bath players while playing for Glasgow in the Heineken Cup, and that was enough to inflict the shoulder injury that eventually needed surgery.
“It was the last minute of the game against Bath, trying to reach for the line,” the 26-year-old recalled. “I remember three guys landing on top of me – and that’s what jarred the shoulder up, ripped the tendons in there.
“Having been told that it would be fine after six to eight weeks of rehab, it didn’t get better, so I had a choice between surgery and just more rehab, hoping it would get right. I also had other things to worry about, like my medical with London Irish [his new club], so surgery was the only way.
“It was always going to be touch and go, so it’s worked out well. To be honest, I don’t know what the coaches were thinking. For me, the worry was just getting back fit. It was always going to be close, given the deadline for selection. I always felt I would be ready a week or two before the World Cup.”
Stuart Hogg should return to the No 15 jersey for the World Cup, meaning Maitland will return to the wing. But, unsurprisingly after such a long absence, the New Zealand-born back is just happy to be playing again in any position.
“Obviously Hoggy is out with an injury, but in these World Cups you have to have versatility and it just adds another string to my bow. The last game I played was at full-back, against Bath, so you’re going to get plenty of ball which is good, makes the game a lot easier. I’m just really excited - just fizzing to play.”
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