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Former Wallabies skipper sentenced to two years in prison

BY Philip Bendon  ·  Saturday Mar 15, 2025

Former Australia rugby captain Rocky Elsom has been sentenced to two years in prison for financial misconduct during his tenure as president of French rugby club Narbonne.

A French court found the 42-year-old guilty in absentia on Friday for misusing corporate assets. He was fined 100,000 euros ($108,000), with half of the amount suspended. Authorities have issued an international warrant for his arrest, but his current location is unknown.

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Elsom, who played 75 tests for Australia and won the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009, took control of Narbonne in the 2015-16 season. He has maintained his innocence regarding the allegations.

His original five-year prison sentence, issued in October 2024, was later reduced upon appeal. During that trial, which he did not attend, he was convicted of forgery, use of forgery, and misappropriation of corporate funds. In the 2025 retrial, the forgery charges were dismissed, but he was ordered to compensate Narbonne’s liquidator with 219,760 euros ($238,000).

The prosecution had pushed for a stricter penalty, seeking a three-year jail term and a 630,000-euro ($685,000) fine.

Narbonne, a historic club with two French championship titles, went into liquidation in 2018 and now competes in France’s third-tier Fédérale league.

A standout blindside flanker, Elsom led the Wallabies from 2009 to 2011 after debuting for Australia in 2005. He was instrumental in Leinster’s 2009 European title win, starring alongside Irish rugby legends Johnny Sexton and Brian O’Driscoll.

Elsom had been residing in Ireland since August 2024 but reportedly fled the country after authorities issued an arrest warrant against him last year.

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