Fugitive rugby player Rocky Elsom goes on the run after fleeing Ireland

Former Australia and Leinster rugby player Rocky Elsom has fled Ireland after Irish police descended on his work and home to detain him following an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities.

Elsom has now officially announced his sudden departure from his residence and work in Ireland in the Australian press.

In October, the 41-year-old was convicted by a French court of forgery, forgery and misuse of corporate assets related to his tenure as president of French rugby club Narbonne in 2014 and 2015. A French court sentenced Elsom in absentia. to five years in prison and ordered him to pay the club about 700,000 euros.

Wallabies battle Tate McDermott ahead of England and Grand Slam match

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Elsom, who has not revealed how he left Ireland or his current whereabouts, confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that gardaí had visited his residence and place of work in Dublin with the intention of taking him into custody.

“Gardai came to where I was working, came to my home with the intention of taking me into custody,” Elsom said. “All I can say is that I spoke to the police and they said if I was in Ireland they would have to bring me in. So I told them I wasn’t in Ireland and I wasn’t going to be in Ireland. in the near future.”

Elsom criticized the proceedings in France, saying he was not informed of the trial or given the opportunity to respond to the allegations, which he denies. He described the trial as “deliberately” complex, saying it involved “not informing me, banning me from being present, waging a rumor campaign for eight years.”

The former Wallabies captain has raised concerns about his ability to effectively defend himself while in custody and said he is working with a French lawyer to challenge his conviction. He also expressed hope that the Australian government would reconsider his case. “If an Australian citizen is unlikely to get a fair trial in a foreign country, then at the very least I think they have a responsibility to look into the matter,” he said.

Until recently, Elsom lived in south Dublin and worked as a rugby coach at Catholic University School on Leeson Street.

Elsom made 75 appearances for the Wallabies between 2005 and 2011. Elsom enjoyed a successful club career, including spells for the Waratahs in Super Rugby and Leinster in Ireland, where he helped win the 2009 Heineken Cup title. He captained Australia from 2009 to 2011, including during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.