Wallabies great: ‘I will only go to France if I can avoid prison’
Former Wallabies star Rocky Elsom, who has been given a two-year prison sentence.
Former Wallabies star Rocky Elsom has vowed to return to France and attempt to clear his name providing he is not put behind bars.
The 43-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison by a French judge after being found guilty in absentia of fraud, although it was later reduce to two on appeal.
An international arrest warrant was issued in October 2024 with Elsom based in Ireland at that point. The ex-back-rower then left Europe to return to Australia and was seen in Cooroy, a small town in Queensland, in January earlier this year.
‘I can’t go’
“If I fly to France now, I’ll be arrested and imprisoned. While awaiting a potential appeal, I’ll be in a cell. And that could take some time,” he told Rugbyrama.
“The only risk for me is coming to France, because I would be detained for something unjust. So I can’t go. I will come to France if I can explain myself without going to prison.”
Elsom has always maintained his innocence and also insisted that he was never notified about the specific time and date of his hearing.
“The first thing is that they never notified me of my summons for this trial, nor did they ever attempt to do so. It sounds crazy, but there’s no document that can prove I was ever informed of a hearing,” he said.
“My lawyer raised this issue in my defence, and no one could say: ‘Yes, we told Rocky he was summoned.’
“The prosecutor never tried to notify me of my summons. This five-year prison sentence was handed down in absentia.
“Since I wasn’t present, the judge was able to rule without me being able to properly defend myself. There was no way for me to be informed of my summons. If you don’t believe me, ask the prosecutor.”
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Elsom was found guilty of misusing corporate assets but the forgery charges were dropped from the 2025 retrial. However, the ex-Wallabies and Leinster loose forward has proclaimed his innocence.
Elsom’s side of the story
“Not only am I innocent, but even if I had done what I’m accused of, the charges aren’t all that serious. For example, they said that €100,000 was paid to my company during my time as chairman,” he said.
“I said that was true and that the transaction had even been approved by the supervisory board. But they said that this sum wasn’t yet due. So it’s not illegal, it’s simply a matter of timing.
“I asked them when this sum was due, and they didn’t answer me. Was it only €15,000 that was transferred too early? Was it a month too early? A few days? Why didn’t they consult the supervisory board, which had fully supported me at the time?”
He added: “There’s another accusation that a club member, who is Australian, was being paid €7,200 a month for doing absolutely nothing. That he hadn’t even shown up for work.
“I replied: ‘Show me a single euro that went to this person. You have all the club’s accounts, show them to me!’ They said nothing.
“The initial list of accusations also mentioned that I had increased Daniel Halangahu’s salary. But I wasn’t the one who initiated that.
“I’ve already shown the document proving that it was the former chairman (Anthony Hill) who forced the club to pay this player.”
Elsom was also asked about the forgery conviction, for which he was eventually acquitted in 2025.
“Do you know what the charges for forgery and use of forged documents were about? I signed the doctor’s contract in my name on July 26th,” he said.
“The doctor also signed it on July 26th, but the contract is dated July 1st because it follows the previous year’s contract. That’s all. That’s what I was found guilty of.”