Ex-Leinster rugby star Rocky Elsom flees Ireland following garda visit

Mr Elsom was convicted in his absence, and an international warrant was issued for his arrest.

After the conviction, the former Wallabies captain remained in Ireland, but he now says he left the country after gardaí visited his home and workplace with the intent to arrest him.

“The gardaí came to where I worked, came to my home, with the intention of taking me into custody,” Mr Elsom told the Sydney Morning Herald.

He said that gardaí told him they would have to take him into custody if he stayed in Ireland, which he worries would make his defence much harder and more costly.

“The important thing to remember is if I am in custody, my defence gets a lot more expensive and a lot harder," he added.

Mr Elsom has not revealed where he is currently hiding. He says he is “laying low” while he finds a French lawyer to appeal his case.

"I'll have to go outside at some point but I am keeping my head down, that's for sure,” he said, adding that he’s trying to keep some normalcy, despite feeling under pressure.

"In a way, the attack on me has been going on for eight years so you wouldn’t put it past them to be going on for months and months," he said.

The French court found Mr Elsom guilty of financial misconduct and ordered him to repay €705,000. 

The allegations include backdating a club doctor’s contract, redirecting a payment from Heineken to a company in his name, and arranging early salary payments for players. 

Mr Elsom denies any wrongdoing and claims he wasn’t given a fair chance to defend himself in court, and he says he suspects that French authorities may have made things intentionally difficult for him.

Mr Elsom's rugby career spanned over a decade, during which he became a notable player for Leinster, Toulon, and Narbonne in France. 

He was named European Player of the Year in 2009 after helping Leinster clinch the Heineken Cup.