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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.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 42-year-old, who was also fined 100,000 euros (\u00a384,141) by the French court – with half of that sum suspended – was convicted in absentia on Friday. <\/p>\n
An international warrant has been issued for his arrest, with his whereabouts unknown. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He received an initial five-year prison term in October 2024, but was retried following an appeal. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The forgery charges were dropped from the 2025 trial, but the former has to pay compensation of 219,760 euros (\u00a3184,904) to the club’s liquidator.<\/p>\n
The public prosecutor had requested three years’ imprisonment and a 630,000 euros (\u00a3529,411) fine for Elsom.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Blindside flanker Elsom captained the Wallabies from 2009 until 2011, having made his debut in 2005.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Elsom had been living in Ireland since August 2024, but fled the country after an arrest warrant was issued against him last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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