Maitland ready for special night at Scotstoun

• 19 Mar 2025
• Interviews

It may have been 10 years since Glasgow Warriors made club and Scottish rugby history by winning the GUINNESS PRO12 title, but for Sean Maitland, the old cliché of feeling like yesterday certainly rings true.

The former Glasgow and Scotland flyer will be returning to Scotstoun this weekend as part of the 2015 squad reunion ahead of Friday night’s clash with Munster – and to say that he’s excited by the prospect would be a drastic understatement.

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. Time has flown by!” Maitland told glasgowwarriors.org.

“I’m so excited to get back to Glasgow and to see the guys. I probably haven’t seen some of them since the last time we were all together 10 years ago, which is crazy.

“Seeing all the photos on Instagram and all the memories coming back, it’s going to be such a special weekend. I can’t wait.”

Whilst not involved in the 2015 Grand Final victory over Munster due to injury, Maitland was at the heart of Glasgow’s journey to history, scoring 10 tries in 38 appearances between 2012 and 2015 to help drive the Warriors to title glory.

It’s a journey that he remembers with pride, from those first steps at Scotstoun right through to the title party in Belfast, with each and every Warrior playing their part.

“We just went through an evolution really,” said Maitland.

“It probably started just before I arrived in 2012, but every year the team just got better and better. We started to bring guys through the academy, who we complemented with overseas signings like Josh, DTH, Niko and Naks [Leone Nakarawa], all of whom played a massive role in getting us there.

“We obviously lost the 2014 final to Leinster at the RDS, and I think that probably set the framework for 2014/15 – we knew how much hard work was required to get to that level, and what we needed to do to take that extra step.

The history makers 🏆

No-one will forget that day in Belfast, when your Warriors became champions for the very first time.

🔟 years on, catch up with a few familiar faces as we look back on that famous day.

Watch in full now! https://t.co/1v2hDr0IeD#WhateverItTakes ⚔️🛡️ pic.twitter.com/578pVPFozP

— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) March 17, 2025

“You go through our squad for 2014/15, and we had so much depth. That’s key to any successful team, you have to have the strength in depth across the squad to compete across such a marathon of a season. It was almost the perfect evolution for this group and it’s part of history.”

Yet despite the historic nature of the club’s achievement, Maitland admits that the full scale of the success didn’t immediately hit home in the aftermath of the final.

“It’s funny, because it probably didn’t sink in for me until a while later,” he explained.

“I was injured for the final, and then two days after the celebrations I flew out to Bali for my wedding, and then I was straight into Scotland camp for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Honestly, it probably wasn’t until maybe the following summer that the magnitude of what we’d achieved actually really set in.

“It never hit me until later quite how big an achievement it was, and to look back now and be able to say you were a part of that group – that’s a really special feeling.”

Around 30 of the title-winning squad will be present at Scotstoun to cheer on the current cohort of Warriors this Friday night, with Maitland confirming that the reunion WhatsApp group is already in rude health ahead of this weekend.

With the Warrior Nation set to welcome home their heroes, it promises to be an unforgettable night for the class of 2015.

“We had so many characters in that squad – so many different individuals and different personalities, it was a brilliant mix,” smiled Maitland.

“I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Josh [Strauss], who’s flying over from South Africa – I was pretty close with him when we were both at Scotstoun. Niko [Matawalu] too, he was just different gravy. Wilson will be on fire too, no doubt! Just the chance to see guys like DTH, Tommy Seymour, everyone – it’s going to incredible and it’ll bring back so many happy memories.

The offload from Naks 🤩
The fend and finish from DTH ✋

Where were you for this try, Warrior Nation?#WhateverItTakes ⚔️🛡️ pic.twitter.com/4ICvvVfzAJ

— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) March 17, 2025

“I can’t wait to be back at Scotstoun, too. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and it’s a really special place for me. We’ve got a lot of special memories as a family, so to be able to come back for the Friday night lights for such a big game against Munster – that’s massive.

“I can’t wait to see all the fans and get behind the boys on the field and hopefully see them get the W!”