Sean Maitland joined a rare group when he scored a try with his first touch of the ball in Air New Zealand Cup play, having taken the field late in Canterbury's opening match of the 2007 campaign against Bay of Plenty. The Waikato-raised youngster had a week earlier made his first class debut during the pre-season fixture against North Harbour. A precocious talent, Maitland was a member of the victorious New Zealand Under-19 side at the IRB Junior World Cup. He is an exciting attacking three-quarter who has impressed many good judges since he linked up with Linwood at the start of 2007. Maitland had a very strong season with the Crusaders, scoring eight tries.