Rocky Elsom: International arrest warrant issued for Australia rugby legend

An international arrest warrant has been issued for Australian ex-rugby star Rocky Elsom following a conviction for embezzlement in France, French media say.

The former captain of Australia’s national team was president of RC Narbonne, one of country’s most prestigious clubs, in 2015-16. On Friday a court found him guilty of misappropriating a total of €700,000 (£586,000).

Elsom was convicted in absentia and given a five-year-prison sentence, according to French media.

He recently told Sunday Times newspaper that he was living in the Irish capital Dublin.

In the interview with the British outlet, published on 6 October, Elsom said he was coaching at the Catholic University School, a private school for boys in Dublin. He said planned to live in the city until December.

A sporting celebrity in Ireland, the 41-year-old, played for Leinster Rugby in the late 2000s and helped the team win the Heineken Cup, Europe’s top club rugby tournament, in 2009.

He also appeared 75 times for Australia’s national team – nicknamed the Wallabies – between 2005 and 2011. After his retirement he was part of a consortium that bought RC Narbonne.

The French court convicted Elsom of abusing corporate assets and forging documents during his time as president of the club, local media reports say.

A lawyer involved in the case, Patrick Tabet, is quoted by Ouest-France newspaper as saying that Elsom made a “completely unjustified” payment of €79,000 to a former coach and gave a monthly salary of €7,200 to an Australian resident who “never came to Narbonne”.

The club was placed into administration and relegated to lower leagues in 2018.

The judge handed down a harsher prison term than the two years requested by prosecutors. Mr Tabet said the former Wallabies star was also ordered to pay back some €705,000 (£586,000).