Latest news with #RockyElsom
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Rocky Elsom's father reveals update on ex-Wallabies captain who remains in HIDING overseas after international arrest warrant
The father of former Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom has confirmed his son is 'safe and well' - despite an international arrest warrant being issued for the 42-year-old in March following alleged misuse of corporate assets when previously president of French club Narbonne. Robbie Elsom - aged 80 - then revealed why he is eyeing off a stint in politics as the One Nation MP for the seat of Ryan in Brisbane 's west ahead of Saturday's federal election. In an extensive interview with Daily Mail Australia, Elsom snr said he had been in contact with the 75-Test veteran, but for obvious reasons remained tight-lipped on his current whereabouts. 'He is doing OK, is safe and well, but will remain in hiding,' he said of the high-profile fugitive. 'If you look at his (court case) it was like a boxing bout, but he won the first round following an acquittal. 'A number of the charges were thrown out, which is crucial. 'Rocky desperately wants to clear his name, but as you can understand, these things take time. 'He is completely innocent, they (French government) had to point the finger at someone.' Earlier this year, the decorated ex-Wallabies skipper was sentenced to two years in prison by a French court for allegedly misusing corporate assets during his time as club president of Narbonne between 2015 and 2016. He was also fined 100,000 euros ($A172,346), with half the sum suspended. Elsom went on trial for allegedly embezzling club funds by making unjustified expenditures to pay a coach or a general manager who was living in Australia at the time. He was acquitted on charges of forgery and use of forgery but was ordered to pay 230,000 euros ($A396,396) in compensation to the club's liquidator. His lawyer Yann Le Bras appealed the outcome. During a trial in February, the prosecutor requested a three-year prison sentence and a fine of 630,000 euros ($A1.1 million). In a previous trial in October last year, Elsom was sentenced to five years in prison, but did not attend the hearing. Elsom has been the subject of an international arrest warrant since that conviction. As permitted by French law, Elsom requested to be retried with legal representation. He had been living in Ireland since August 2024 and fled the country after an international arrest warrant was issued against him. He denied any wrongdoing and said that under his leadership Narbonne was in a healthy financial position. '(Narbonne) achieved solid profits, had good sporting results, and remained in Pro D2 (the second tier of French rugby) until 2016 and beyond,' he said in a statement in October. 'It seems that I have been targeted as a scapegoat for the future mismanagement of this famous rugby club.' Narbonne went into liquidation in 2018 and now competes in the third-tier Fédérale league. The 42-year-old said in an interview four months ago on YouTube that he left immediately with only a single backpack when he found out that Ireland was legally obliged to extradite him to France. Meanwhile, his father Robbie Elsom will contest the seat of Ryan in Brisbane's west on Saturday as a One Nation candidate When he gave the interview to Mark Bouris from a hidden location, he said he had not been informed there was a public trial in October. 'This is a really important part of it. I didn't know a court case was on and there was no possible way for me to know,' he said. Meanwhile, his father Robbie Elsom will contest the seat of Ryan in Brisbane's west on Saturday as a One Nation candidate. The father of nine has no background in politics, but wants 'the nation to be better run.' 'I've been involved in business since I was 18, and I've never seen Australia in a worse state,' he said. 'From the cost of living, immigration, petrol prices, house properties being out of simply have to change.
Extra.ie
01-05-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
3 simple changes that could rescue shambolic Champions Cup
So here we are, on the final lap of the European Champions Cup, and the theme surrounding the competition continues to be what a shambles it all is. Not a great narrative for the bumbling organisers, EPCR, or the chief sponsors, Investec – the South African finance giants who are said to be having serious second thoughts about their involvement. You would not blame them based on the past few seasons. While the finals have been high quality, much of what preceded those deciders was pure dross and it has led to constant hankering for the glory days of the European Cup between 2000 and 2012. Leinster's Rocky Elsom on the charge in the 2009 final, the period between 2000 and 2012 was when the European Cup was at its best. Pic: INPHO/Graham Stuart The process leading to the demise of this once-great competition, driven by the desire of the French and English clubs to gain more control, has been well documented and what we have been left with is a total mess. A mish-mash pool stage that is confusing for supporters and does not eliminate enough teams; too many weak sides allowed into the competition leading to numerous soulless blow-outs in conjunction with teams opting out of the competition early on and resting frontline players; an inequitable seeding system that allows some teams to play home games all the way to the final (Leinster) while others are sent on the road despite winning all their pool games (Toulouse). Toulouse won all their pool games but were still sent on the road throughout the knockout stages. Pic: Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP Throw in the off-Broadway television coverage that, in excitement terms, is a million miles away from the buzz that used to be generated by Sky Sports and you have a pretty rancid concoction that utterly fails to engage the wider public and only truly grabs the rugby public and media in the latter stages. Leinster's struggle to sell tickets for tomorrow's semi-final clash with Northampton at the Aviva is a case in point — it is their third home knockout game in a row for Leo Cullen's side and the first two were won 62-0 and 52-0 against Harlequins and Glasgow respectively. Garry Ringrose of Leinster runs in to score his side's fifth try during the 62-0 rout of Harlequins at Croke Park. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile So, it's fair to say the Champions Cup has fallen a long way from what it once was and is in a particularly bad place. The good news is it would not take a whole lot to fix it — if the EPCR can finally summon up some good sense. Three simple steps would go a long way to sorting this mess out… 1 Dump the South Africans Having South African teams compete in the 'European' Cup has never felt right, they are far better suited to the United Rugby Championship (URC). That is how they South Africans feel also, they are fully committed to the URC and have energised a competition that was, for so long, the problem child. The Stormers taking on Toulon in the Champions Cup, the South African sides had no interest in the competition and none made the knockout stages. Pic: INPHO It is a long haul to and from South Africa but for the URC, teams work extended trips into their schedule to play several games and enjoy the touring experience. There is none of that with the Champions Cup, long haul flights for one-off games is a chore for everyone involved and the lack of South African interest in this tournament is emphasised by the fact not one of their teams made the knockout stages The best thing to do now is call it quits — you would not hear too much complaining from South Africa, they would welcome the financial and fixture savings and would still have the URC and their own Currie Cup to keep them engaged. John Kelly celebrates his try for Munster against Gloucester in 2003, the pool stages of the Champions Cup have lost the drama they used to carry. Pic: Sportsfile 2 Four groups of four Less is more. There is a dire need for fewer mismatches in this competition and reducing the teams from 24 to 16 would ensure better contests. Ditch the confusing cross-pool format and go with a simple four groups of four teams. You could take the best six teams from the URC, best six teams from the Top 14 and the best four from the English Premiership. That would immediately remove a lot of the cannon fodder outfits currently allowed in the competition. With the French-driven restriction that forces the entire competition to be played off in eight weekends, they need to be used wisely — unlike the protracted toothless knockout stage that exists at present. Damian Penaud of Bordeaux goes over for a try against Munster, going with four groups of four would mean only taking the four best Top 14 teams. Photo: Getty The pool stage would take six weekends and would include the return of the hugely popular December back-to-backs. And the final two weekends would be held for the semi-finals featuring the four pool winners and the final. It would be some scrap to top the pool and only the best teams would make it to the knockout stages. With the level of intensity increased by the reintroduction of proper jeopardy, the competition would immediately become more attractive to sponsors. 3 Properly neutral semi-finals The system whereby teams play semi-finals in a 'neutral' venue in their own country is a farce when it comes to Leinster. Their designated 'neutral' grounds of Aviva Stadium and Croke Park are familiar venues situated close to their core Dublin fan-base. Even though no rules are being breached, it still feels like a stitch-up. RG Snyman of Leinster scores a try at the Aviva against Bath. The Aviva has become a home ground for Leinster rather than a 'neutral' semi-final venue. Pic: Getty The solution is to nominate semi-final venues at the start of the season, the way they do with the final. And, in the interests of spreading the gospel, these games should be staged in Portugal or Spain, two countries where rugby is noticeably growing in popularity. The semi-finals could be played one after the other to ensure a full house. Flights to Spain or Portugal would not break the bank, travel agents would undoubtedly do special deals and, mindful of the need for supporters to book at short notice, the EPCR could reduce ticket prices accordingly. The European Cup is a great competition, with a great history, and should be the elite tournament for elite teams in the northern hemisphere. It has lost that aura, but there is a way to get it back.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Australia captain Elsom gets two-year jail sentence
Former Australia rugby union captain Rocky Elsom has received a two-year prison sentence after being found guilty of misusing corporate assets while president of French club Narbonne. The 42-year-old, who was also fined 100,000 euros (£84,141) by the French court - with half of that sum suspended - was convicted in absentia on Friday. An international warrant has been issued for his arrest, with his whereabouts unknown. Elsom, who made 75 appearances for his country and also won the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009, took charge of the club in the south of France in 2015-16 and has previously denied any wrongdoing. He received an initial five-year prison term in October 2024, but was retried following an appeal. At the October 2024 trial, which he also did not attend, Elsom was found guilty of forgery, use of forgery and misuse of corporate assets. The forgery charges were dropped from the 2025 trial, but the former has to pay compensation of 219,760 euros (£184,904) to the club's liquidator. The public prosecutor had requested three years' imprisonment and a 630,000 euros (£529,411) fine for Elsom. Narbonne have won the French rugby championship twice and finished runner-up three times. But the club went into liquidation in 2018 and now competes in the third-tier Federale league. Blindside flanker Elsom captained the Wallabies from 2009 until 2011, having made his debut in 2005. He was also named man of the match when he helped Dublin-based club Leinster win the 2009 Heineken Cup alongside Ireland greats Johnny Sexton and Brian O'Driscoll. Elsom had been living in Ireland since August 2024, but fled the country after an arrest warrant was issued against him last year.
Reuters
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Former Australia captain Elsom sentenced to two years in jail in France
PARIS, March 14 (Reuters) - Former Australia rugby union captain Rocky Elsom was sentenced to two years in jail after a French court on Friday found him guilty of misusing corporate assets while president of French club Narbonne. Elsom, 42, who was at Narbonne from 2013-16, was convicted in absentia and an international warrant has been issued for his arrest. He was also ordered to pay a 100,000 euros ($108,870.00) fine, with half the sum suspended, a ruling from the Narbonne court showed. In February, the public prosecutor had requested three years' imprisonment and a 630,000 euros fine for Elsom, who was retried after appealing an initial five-year prison sentence handed down in October 2024. He has denied the charges. At the October 2024 trial, which he also did not attend, Elsom had been found guilty of forgery, use of forgery and misuse of corporate assets. The forgery charges were dropped from the 2025 trial but Elsom has to pay compensation of 219,760 euros to the club's liquidator. A powerful blindside flanker, Elsom played 75 tests for the Wallabies and captained the team from 2009 until just before the 2011 Rugby World Cup. ($1 = 0.9185 euros)
The Guardian
14-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Former Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom handed two-year jail sentence in France
The former Australia rugby union captain Rocky Elsom was sentenced to two years in prison by a French court on Friday, for misusing corporate assets during his time as the club president of Narbonne. Elsom was also fined €100,000 (A$109,000) with half of that sum suspended. The 42-year-old did not appear in court; his whereabouts are currently unknown and a French arrest warrant has been issued against him. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Having taken charge of the southern French club Narbonne from 2015-16, Elsom went on trial for embezzling club funds by making unjustified expenditures to pay a coach or a general manager who was living in Australia at the time. Elsom was acquitted on charges of forgery but was ordered to pay €230,000 in compensation to the club's liquidator. His lawyer, Yann Le Bras, appealed and pleaded for a further acquittal during a trial last month. Instead, the prosecutor requested a three-year prison sentence and a fine of €630,000 (A$687,000). At a previous trial in October last year, Elsom was sentenced to five years in prison but did not attend the hearing. He has been the subject of an international arrest warrant since that conviction. As allowed by French law, Elsom requested to be retried with legal representation, but he did not appear in court last month. Elsom played 75 times for Australia from 2005-11, earning a reputation as a standout flanker. He was named man of the match when he won the 2009 Heineken Cup with Dublin-based club Leinster alongside Ireland greats like Johnny Sexton and Brian O'Driscoll. Born in Melbourne, Elsom had been living in Ireland since August 2024 but fled the country after an international arrest warrant was issued against him. Elsom denied any wrongdoing and said that under his leadership Narbonne was in a healthy position. '[The club] achieved solid profits, had good sporting results, and remained in Pro D2 [the second tier of French rugby] until 2016 and beyond,' he said in a statement in October. 'It seems that I have been targeted as a scapegoat for the future mismanagement of this famous rugby club.' Narbonne won the French rugby championship twice in 1936 and 1979 and finished runner-up three times. The club went into liquidation in 2018 and now competes in the third-tier Fédérale league. Elsom, who also played Super Rugby for the Waratahs and Brumbies, had been working as a coach at a school in Dublin around the time of his arrest warrant. He said in a YouTube interview four months ago that he left immediately with only a single backpack when he found out that Ireland was legally obliged to extradite him to France. When he gave the interview to Mark Bouris from a hidden location, he said he had not been informed there was a public trial in October. 'This is a really important part of it. I didn't know a court case was on and there was no possible way for me to know,' he said.
