Ex-Wallabies Captain Rocky Elsom Sentenced to Two Years in French Prison

Rocky Elsom, former Australian rugby star and Narbonne club president, convicted of misusing corporate assets but remains at large as authorities issue arrest warrant.

• Rocky Elsom, former captain of the Australian Wallabies, was sentenced to two years in prison by a French court for misusing corporate funds during his tenure as president of Narbonne Rugby Club from 2015 to 2016.
• Elsom was fined €100,000, with half the amount suspended, and ordered to pay €230,000 in compensation to the club’s liquidator following allegations of unjustified expenditures to pay a coach or general manager based in Australia.
• The 42-year-old did not attend the trial, and French authorities have issued an arrest warrant as his current location is unknown; he has been the subject of an international arrest warrant since a prior conviction in 2024.
• Elsom denies the charges, claiming he was unaware of the trial and asserting that Narbonne was financially and competitively stable under his leadership, which he insists has been unfairly scapegoated for the club's later mismanagement.
• Narbonne, a historic French rugby club, went into liquidation in 2018 and now competes in the third-tier Fédérale league; Elsom had fled Ireland in 2024 after learning of extradition obligations and has since spoken from undisclosed locations.

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