Ex-Wallaby Rocky Elsom faces international arrest warrant

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 29: Rocky Elsom of the Waratahs looks dejected after the Waratahs defeat in the round 10 Super Rugby match between the Waratahs and the Crusaders at Allianz Stadium on April 29, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Former Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom has been found guilty on charges relating to forgery, and misuse of corporate assets by the Narbonne court on the 11th of October.

He has been sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay back €700,000 (almost 590,000£), as reported by the regional daily L’Indépendant, which covered the trial. Elsom did not attend the hearing, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for him.

He assumed multiple roles as player, recruiter, and chairman

Elsom joined Racing Club Narbonnais as a player in 2015, during a period when the club had been owned for four years by a consortium of Australian investors, FG Management (FGM). This group included former coach Bob Dwyer, who led Australia to the 1991 World Cup victory.

The flanker played only a few matches in the orange and black jersey of the club in Pro D2, marking the final appearances of his playing career.

However, FG Management, which had promised great things for Narbonne, quickly withdrew. The former flanker, Rocky Elsom, then appeared to take control of the club, assuming multiple roles as player, recruiter, and chairman.

He has misappropriated the club’s financial assets

The situation quickly deteriorated due to the lack of transparency in Elsom’s administration, which raised suspicions among the club’s longstanding directors.

Within just a few months in 2016, the former Australian international reportedly misappropriated the club’s financial assets, totaling around €700,000, for his own benefit and that of a few close friends and family members, including players who held club licenses.

In June 2016, Elsom was questioned by Narbonne police for two hours. Accompanied by Lei Tomiki, an Australian back-row player who had played for Narbonne as well, he visited the office of the club’s lawyer, Frédéric Pinet. The discussion became heated, leading Pinet to file a complaint for “minor violence and threats”.

Elsom now lives in Ireland

Rocky Elsom has been out of the public eye since his abrupt exit from Narbonne, but he recently resurfaced in an interview with The Times published on October 6. In the interview, he revealed that he has been in Ireland since August 26 and intends to remain there until December.

He is currently coaching the modest Catholic University team, a position he secured on the recommendation of Leo Cullen, one of his former teammates at Leinster, where Elsom played during the 2008-2009 season. He also mentioned that he is in the process of establishing a construction business in Noosa, Queensland, in northeast Australia.

The article also reveals that he has been invited by Leinster to attend the match against Munster on Saturday 12th of October, commemorating his glory days. During his time as a Leinster player, he participated in 20 matches, earning the man of the match award 13 times, including during the HCup semi-final and final, and he was never substituted.

The short-lived manager did not exhibit the same rigor or achieve the same success.

With an international arrest warrant now issued, his attendance at Croke Park on Saturday evening appears more than unlikely.