Ex-Leinster star Rocky Elsom says arrest warrant is ‘clear perversion of justice’

Elsom (41) was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty in a Narbonne Court on Friday. He was convicted in absentia.

The conviction is understood to relate to Elsom’s time as president of the Narbonne Mediterranean Racing Club, a rugby club based in the south of France.

According to ESPN, Elsom was found guilty of forgery, the use of forgery, and the misuse of corporate assets stemming back to his time as president of the club.

The ex-rugby star has most recently been working as a coach with the Catholic University School (CUS) in Dublin, according to a recent interview he did with the Sunday Times.

However the Wallabies captain insisted that he is innocent of the charges and has now claimed that he was not afforded the opportunity to defend himself in the first place.

In a statement issued to the Sydney Morning Herald, the former Test skipper protested his innocence and revealed that he had not been given the chance to state his own version of events.

"Not allowing me to defend the charges, is a clear perversion of justice," Elsom told The Herald.

"I have little more information on the evidence that was presented in the hearing [other] than [what] is in the public domain. So, I can only address the allegations that have been raised publicly.

"I ask the public to consider the legitimacy of any process that does not allow for the involvement of the person being prosecuted.

"I have been contactable via my email address and phone number, yet it appears the court process was fast-tracked after an article appeared recently in The Sunday Times. This article gave my location, occupation and upcoming scheduled events.

"I have not been questioned in this matter and the lengthy process seems to have deliberately excluded me from giving evidence."

Elsom demanded that French lawyer Patrick Tabet, who alleged Elsom made "completely unjustified" separate payments to a former coach of Narbonne and another Australia never engaged by the club, to provide him with the information that led to the five-year jail sentence.

Elsom was due to appear as a Leinster guest at last week’s sold-out clash with Munster at Croke Park, where he had been earmarked to feature in a Q&A pre-match.

However, Leinster confirmed that Elsom would not be appearing.

"Rocky Elsom was due to appear at a sponsors’ Q&A in Croke Park as a guest of Leinster Rugby, but that is no longer the case,” a spokesperson said.

“Currently living in Dublin, Elsom was at Narbonne from 2013-2016 and defended the French D2 club's performances both on and off the field during that period,” ESPN reports.

According to The Herald, he has engaged a lawyer in France to appeal the decision.

Elsom was capped 75 times for Australia in a glittering international career which spanned from 2005 to 2011.

He played 21 times for Leinster across 2008 and 2009, where he won a Player of the Year award, as well as representing clubs Toulon and Narbonne in France.

He also landed a European Player of the Year award in 2009, as he helped Leinster to land the Heineken Cup that year.

Soon after, he made the decision to return to Australia to continue his playing career despite Leinster's best efforts to keep him.

“I already liked Dublin before playing for Leinster and obviously enjoyed rugby”, he said

"I didn't expect to like it as much as I have done but ultimately I'm Australian and I want to play for Australia. You don't always have the opportunity to do that but I do now so I want to take advantage of it," Elsom said on news of his departure from Leinster.

The Melbourne native played for the Waratahs and the Brumbies in Australia, where he won a string of player awards.