International arrest warrant for ex-Leinster man Elsom

An international arrest warrant has been issued for former Leinster and Australia rugby star Rocky Elsom over his conduct as president of French club Narbonne in 2015 and 2016, French media have reported.

The 41-year-old was yesterday found guilty in absentia of forgery and misuse of corporate assets by a Narbonne court, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to repay €705,000, lawyer Patrick Tabet said.

Narbonne, two-time champions of France, went into liquidation and were relegated to the the third-tier Championnat Nationale in 2018, where they play today.

A powerful blindside flanker, Elsom played 75 tests for Australia and captained the Wallabies from 2009 until just before the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

He joined Leinster for the 2008-09 season and played a key role in the Irish province winning their first European Champions Cup, being named man of the match in the semi-final and final.

Elsom told the Sunday Times newspaper last week that he was back living in Dublin for the first time since 2009, coaching at the Catholic University School on Leeson Street.

Additional reporting: Reuters