Ex-Leinster star Rocky Elsom admits fleeing Ireland after gardaí called to his home

The former Australia flanker was the subject of an international arrest warrant last month.

Former Leinster Australia rugby star, Rocky Elsom, has revealed that he fled Ireland and went into hiding after gardaí called to his home looking for him.

Last month, the Melbourne native was the subject of an international arrest warrant over his conduct as president of French club Narbonne in 2015 and 2016.

According to L’Équipe, a French court found him guilty of misusing corporate assets in 2015 and 2016 while in charge of the southern France club.

Two years after the club severed ties with him, the two-time French champions went into liquidation and were relegated to the the third-tier Championnat Nationale, where they remain today.

In mid-October, a Narbonne judge sentenced Elsom to five years in prison and ordered him to repay €705,000.

Now, in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, Elsom has admitted to fleeing Ireland after members of An Garda Siochana called to his Dublin home looking for him.

"The gardai came to where I worked, came to my home, with the intention of taking me into custody," he said.

"All I can say is I spoke to the gardai and they said if I’m in Ireland they’ll have to bring me in," added the 2009 Leinster Rugby Player of the Year.

"The important thing to remember is if I am in custody, my defence gets a lot more expensive and a lot harder."

He continued: "I’ll have to go outside at some point but I am keeping my head down, that’s for sure.

"I've just got to try and normalise it to a degree – be able to get enough sunlight or do some exercise.

"Because this is month one. In a way, the attack on me has been going on for eight years so you wouldn’t put it past them to be going on for months and months," he added.

The 41-year-old captained Australia as a player, and wore the blue of Leinster in the 2008/09 season, winning the 2009 European Cup.