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.
