Elliott Stooke is loving life in Japan but claims he has unfinished business to take care of in the form of a Premiership title.
Having been a fan favourite at The Rec, making 136 appearances across two spells at Bath in 2016-21 and 2023-24, the 31-year-old second row moved to Japan Rugby League One Division 2 side Red Hurricanes Osaka in July.
He has enjoyed residing in Japan’s ‘Big Kitchen’ and admits the pay rise he received was a big motivator when deciding to move to the Far East away from the financially crippled Premiership.
Stooke told The Rugby Paper: “I know if I was playing in the Premiership that I wouldn’t be getting the same sort of deal I’m currently on here.
“I didn’t want to sell myself short of 50k back home and there’s been a snowball effect of players coming here from overseas.”
Bath’s Rise
Stooke has kept a close eye on Bath’s rise to the top of the Premiership and is desperate for his former side to go one step further and end their title hiatus after playing in last season’s loss in the showpiece event at Twickenham.
“It’s great to watch. I always catch the highlights of their games on YouTube,” said Stooke.
“This is the best chance they’ve had of winning silverware. They’ve always had a good team but credit to Johann van Graan for making it work.
“I keep in touch with a lot of them, particularly Ollie Lawrence. I’ll be going back to England for the birth of my child, so I’ll catch up with him because what he’s gone through with his Achilles sucks. For me, he was on the plane to Australia for the Lions tour.”
Open to an England return
Stooke, who is set to become a father at the end of next month with his wife Charlotte, remains open to a return to England’s top flight, where he previously featured for Gloucester, London Irish, Wasps and Bristol Bears as well as Bath.
“I can see myself playing in England again,” he said.
“Lee Blackett is a good mate of mine, and when I joined Wasps when he was head coach there, I said I wanted to win the Premiership.
“The same when I re-joined Bath from Montpellier, I said to van Grann ‘I want to win the Prem, I’m tired of seeing other people winning it.’
“Bath is the obvious one, but I’ve been at lots of clubs in the Premiership and they are all ambitious, so I’m happy to go wherever life takes me.”
Red Hurricanes Season
The Red Hurricanes came into this weekend in ninth with five wins from nine matches as their season has unravelled in recent weeks due to suffering three successive defeats.
He added: “We started our season flying with four from four, and I don’t like pinning it on illnesses or injuries, but when your main five starting foreigners go down, it does become trickier.
“We’ve got such a great group of boys here with a strong Japanese contingent. They love learning because they know how lucky they are to have this opportunity. It’s still very much a developing sport in this country, and they want to get better which is great.
“Being out here on my own and away from my wife has given me no choice but to go out and explore. The city itself is incredible, there’s something different out there every time I go out.”
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