When did you start playing?

My old man took me to his club, Evesham, when I was about ten. I hated it until we started playing games and rolling round in the mud. I went from there to Bredon, then Stow-on-the-Wold and they got me a Gloucester trial when I left school.

Have you always played in the second row? 

I played anywhere in the team until I went to Hartpury College, then I settled at lock.

What representative rugby have you played? 

England U18 and U20. I dislocated my elbow in this year’s U20 World Cup semi-final so I couldn’t play in the final, which I was gutted about. The U20 set-up is a great and I will miss it this year.

What are your aims now? 

To play regularly for the Gloucester first team. I didn’t think it would happen this fast (Stooke made his first Premiership start v Northampton in September and his first Heineken Cup start last month) but I’m loving it.

What was it like scoring a try against the Saints? 

It was an unbelievable game. I was only a couple of metres out and I just flopped over.

Do you live with other Gloucester players?

I live with a group of academy boys in what’s called the House of Pain, right opposite the ground. We are all training together and are trying to break through. I am still an academy player so my aim is to get a full contract.

RW verdict: This 18st 20-year-old has quickly earned the confidence of the coaches at Kingsholm.

This Hotshot was published in the December 2013 edition of Rugby World. We feature the hottest youngsters every month – why not subscribe to RW to keep up to date? Click here for the latest deals or find out how to download the digital edition here.