The second rower, who joined Bath from the Cherry and Whites in 2016 said: “The West Country derby is unrivalled and always a massive occasion. For me, there’s an added incentive playing against my old team and teammates.

“There’s no better way to put the smiles back on everyone’s faces than by beating our rivals. We want to put in a performance that the supporters can be proud of and will get us the victory.”

Stooke knows that facing the Challenge Cup finalists in their own backyard will be a stern test, but the 24-year-old is confident that Bath can come away with a positive result.

“Gloucester has changed their style this season to great effect and with a Champions Cup spot secured they will want to put on a show in front of a home crowd,” he said.

“We’ve had two weeks to prepare for this match and we’re all itching to get onto the pitch on Saturday. We have a game plan in place that we believe will give us the greatest chance of bringing the points back with us to Bath.”

Stooke admits that whilst it’s been a challenging few weeks in the Aviva Premiership, the in-form lock is determined to end the campaign on a high.

“As a group we’ve got to stay positive through these tough times. We’ve lost a few games this season by a couple of points, and it's those fine margins.

"It’s those fine margins which is frustrating. However, we are determined to finish the season on a high starting with Gloucester this weekend.”

Stooke looking forward to facing former side at Kingsholm

Related News