Gloucester Rugby: Elliott Stooke hails England coaches

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GIFTED Elliott Stooke has praised the England coaching staff for putting their faith in up-and-coming talent, writes Laura Fell.

The highly-rated second row was called up to the England Saxons squad as injury cover for Graham Kitchener.

And now the 20-year-old could feature from the bench in tonight’s Kingsholm clash with Irish Wolfhounds (5pm).

For Stooke, this call-up is the “cherry on top” of a breakthrough season, which has seen the former Stow RFC man establish himself as a key member of the Gloucester pack.

The Under-20 World Cup winner said: “What an opportunity this is for me.

“I found out I was in the squad just after beating Perpignan, so we were all buzzing and it was an added bonus.

“I have to thank the coaches for giving me this opportunity and having the faith in young guys coming through.

“The set-up at England age -group level is fantastic. It’s a great opportunity for young guys to shine, and this is a young squad.

“We are all very thankful that we’ve been through high pressure experiences like the Under-20 World Cup.

“I am grateful for that and being able to come into this game with a bit more knowledge.

“I can wait to face the Wolfhounds; both teams will go hammer and tong at each other on this pitch – if I get my opportunity to come on, we’ll see what happens.”

Despite his meteroic rise, humble Stooke will not let personal gain overshadow the team performance, or lack of it, this term.

Stooke said he was grateful for the “tight-knit community” at Gloucester, which has helped the players bounce back from painful defeats.

He added: “It’s a team effort at Gloucester – we’re all working extremely hard to get where we want to be.

“We know it hasn’t been perfect but we are all working hard to get back to where we want to be, and to make the fans happy.

“We hear things in the media we don’t want to hear. But the boys keep me up.

“We all stick together and work as hard as we possibly can to put things right.

“The Gloucester coaches gave me an opportunity early this season to show what I can do and I took it with both hands.

“They put their trust in me, and its thanks to them I am playing for Gloucester.”

Article source: http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12507/9129494/rugby-union-european-champions-toulon-set-to-announce-leigh-halfpenny-signing

Gloucester Rugby: Elliott Stooke hails England coaches