ELLIOTT Stooke won’t allow playing against a group of best mates to be an excuse this weekend as Bath prepare to face Gloucester in their penultimate Aviva Premiership clash.

Stooke, who played 61 times for Gloucester during a two-season spell spanning 2014 to 2016, will face several former teammates on Saturday in what is a must-win game for Todd Blackadder’s side.

Such is the bond between Stooke and his former teammates at Gloucester, he will take his place as best man at Cherry & Whites player Callum Braley’s wedding this summer.

But his personal connection with Gloucester’s players will bear no reflection on his performance this weekend in a game which could see Bath’s slim play-off hopes come to an end.

Stooke said: “I always look forward to playing old teammates, and an old team for that matter.

“I’m yet to speak to the boys at Gloucester but there will be some banter before the match.

“I grew up playing with members of their current team, I’ve been on holiday with them and we’re a tight knit group.

“At the end of the day, though, you’re playing in a derby and get caught in it.

“We’ll be wanting the points just as much as them.

“Gloucester have changed their style since the new coaching staff arrived.

“They chuck the ball around and have been performing really well. We’ll have to be defensively strong.”

Since joining Bath, Stooke has appeared in blue, black and white 36 times, and while a disappointing drop in form has all but ended Bath’s hopes of reaching the top four this season, he is keen to round the Premiership campaign off with a pair of bonus-point wins.

He said: “We’ve been stuck in a poor run of form the last month.

“We want to put some smiles back on the fans’ faces.

“We can only control what we can, but we’ll go out playing an attacking style looking to secure points.

“Putting pressure on teams around us is one thing we can do.

“We will focus on ourselves and look to be proud of our performance to keep the fans happy.

“I feel like I’ve settled in well. I have played well in the last year and the boys have been fantastic to me.

“I said in my first media conference that I couldn’t be happier to join and mentioned how the team are a great bunch of lads, and this season is the same.”