Maitland urges Warriors to hit ground running

The Warriors will kick of their 2014/15 campaign against Leinster on September 6 in a rematch of last year's final, but first line up against Harlequins at home on Saturday August 23, and London Scottish away a week later.

The 25-year-old has been using pre-season to boost his fitness ahead of a busy domestic and international calendar which culminates in the 2015 World Cup and admits he can't wait to get going.

"It is amazing how quickly the summer has passed by and now we are just weeks away from the GUINNESS PRO12 opener with Leinster," Maitland told The Herald.

"We have two friendlies before that with Harlequins first up and then the trip to Richmond to face London Scottish and we want to do as well as we can in these games.

"Sure it's important that as many players get game time as possible, but you also want to build a bit of momentum both in terms of the quality of your performance and the results. That process will start with the Harlequins game next Saturday."

Maitland added that a rigorous summer training plan has improved his condition ahead of the season.

The winger admitted that he struggled to find form after missing last season's pre-season friendlies after being
given time off to recover from the British and Irish Lions' victorious tour of Australia.

"I missed a lot of the pre-season last time around because I'd been away with the Lions in Australia," he added.

"It was a struggle to play catch-up when I did come back.

"This is a really important year ahead for me as it culminates in the Rugby World Cup in England in 2015, and I want to be in absolute peak condition and make sure I get the best out of myself."

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