Rocky Elsom has sentence reduced after winning appeal

Former Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom, who has been in hiding after going on the run in November, has won an appeal against a five-year sentence for the alleged misuse of corporate funds.

Elsom, 42, hasn’t been seen since police in Ireland tried to take him into custody following his conviction from a Narbonne Court in October, sparking an international manhunt.

Former flanker Elsom won 75 caps for the Wallabies during an 11-year playing career that saw him play for the Waratahs, Brumbies, Leinster, Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Toulon and Narbonne.

He was retried in his absence last month on allegations that include backdating a club doctor’s contract and having a payment from beer giant Heineken illegally transferred to a company in his name.

It was also claimed that he agreed to salary advances for players while serving as President of Narbonne, who are currently second in Pool 1 of the third-tier Championnat Fédéral Nationale.

Elsom, who left Ireland, saw his five-year sentence cut to two years in prison after some of the charges were thrown out. However, he must still pay a fine of 280,000 euros (£236,000) and has ten days to appeal his new sentence.

After going on the run, Elsom told the Daily Mail about the extraordinary circumstances that saw him go from a rugby coach to a wanted international fugitive.

“I just had a backpack when I left, with two shirts and a washbag. It’s unusual to think that you wake up one day and you’re convicted of something and sentenced to prison when you had no idea you were on trial.

“There doesn’t seem like there was any genuine attempt to contact me prior to it. They (the gardai) came to Catholic University School, they came to my home.

“And, when they couldn’t find me, they called me and said, ‘If you’re in Ireland, we’re going to bring you in.’ I said, ‘That’s good, I’m not in Ireland.”