Stooke is so pleased he joined Bath

ELLIOTT Stooke admits he was a “bang average” player when he was at Gloucester.

He has certainly come a long way since joining Bath Rugby. The 25-year-old has trimmed down, got fit enough to comfortably play 80 minutes, improved his skills, played more rugby over the last two-and-a-half seasons than anyone else at the club and is knocking on the door for an England debut.

It is no wonder he was happy to sign a new two-year deal at the Rec. Speaking after his man-ofthe-match performance in the win over Worcester Warriors at the Rec, the lock, pictured below, said: “Bath is 100 percent the right club for me. When I left my previous club I needed to get out of my comfort zone.

“I was just happy being comfortable and basically being bang average. I needed to progress my career and, coming to Bath, I’ve done that. Hopefully, I can continue doing that here. I’ve learned a lot from the players around me and the coaches around me.

“Credit goes to guys like (director of rugby) Todd Blackadder and (forwards coach) Toby Booth. They’ve been absolutely outstanding with me. They gave me a chance and an opportunity and I can’t thank them enough. When Boothy goes at the end of the season I’ll be singing his praises.”

Having played for England against Barbarians in a non-cap game in May, Stooke has narrowly missed out on making his full debut so far this autumn. He has trained with the squad for the past month, has been a matchday reserve but was surplus to requirements when the Red Rose beat Japan 35-15 at Twickenham on Saturday.

That meant he was able to play against Worcester – the city of his birth – and he put in an all-action 80-minute display, including 19 carries and a late try.

“Of course I was disappointed (not to make his England debut),” he added. “There’s no hiding away from that, but I couldn’t wait to come back to the club.”

Stooke is back training with England along with clubmates Sam Underhill, Charlie Ewels and Joe Cokanasiga as they prepare to face Australia in the final autumn Test on Saturday. If he is released again, he is likely to start for Bath against Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park on Friday night.