| Full name | Rocky Elsom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 February 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Height | 197 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) [1] | ||
| School | St. Joseph's Nudgee College, Brisbane | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Flanker/Lock/No.8 | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2008–2009 | Leinster | 21 | (30) |
| correct as of 4 June 2009. | |||
| Super Rugby | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2003–2008 2012- 2010–2011 |
Waratahs Brumbies |
66 | (50) |
| Current local club | Randwick | ||
| correct as of 5 Nov 2006. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2005– | Australia | 71 | (65) |
| correct as of 25 June 2009. | |||
Rocky Elsom (born 14 February 1983 in Melbourne) is an Australian Rugby Union player. He plays the position of flanker, and represents the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby and the Wallabies at an international level. He was Wallabie's 76th test captain, having replaced Stirling Mortlock in 2009. In the lead-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, he was replaced as captain by James Horwill[2]
Elsom is a decorated player having won Herald Super 14 player of the year in 2007, Wallaby of the year in 2008, European Player of the Year in 2009 and inducted into the European Cup Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Elsom has an international career spanning 40 matches along with 64 Super Rugby Caps and 21 caps for Dublin-based club Leinster. In his career Elsom has won NSW Waratah of the Year 2007, Herald Super 14 Player of the Year, Wallaby of the Year, Leinster Rugby Player of the Year, Magners League Player of the Year and European player of the Year. In 2010 Elsom was named at blindside flanker in a European dream team by the ERC to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Heineken Cup, this came despite him only spending one season with Leinster such was his impact during the tournament that year. Elsom was also awarded the Waratah Medal for outstanding contribution to NSW Rugby in 2007. Elsom is one of only a handful of Australian players that have won a European Cup and is the only current top class test player to have been in the starting XV for every one of his 40 test caps. Elsom's career has not been without controversy with a couple of suspensions one of which was later overturned. Also a drawn-out feud with the ARU over the terms of his contract led to an unusual early release on 'compassionate grounds' to join Leinster in 2008. This resulted in Elsom being deemed 'unavailable' 2008 Wallaby Spring tour despite being named Wallaby of the Year 1 month earlier. 10 days after a 'Man of the Match' performance in Leinster's victory in the 2009 Heineken Cup Final against Leicester Tigers Elsom negotiated a return to Australia and the test arena agreeing to terms with the ARU and ACT Brumbies.
Elsom was educated at St. Joseph's Nudgee College in Brisbane where he was captain of their rugby union side; he went on to make the Australian Schoolboys side. He was a fast, agile forward for a young man of his size. He was nearly 100 kg when he finished in the Australian Schoolboys side. He then spent two seasons with the Canterbury Bulldogs rugby league club in Sydney and was a front-rower prop in their 2001 premiership-winning Jersey Flegg side.
He returned to rugby union in 2003, making his Super 14 debut against the Auckland Blues for the Waratahs. He was also the co-captain of the under-21 Australian national side at the 2003 under-21 World Cup.
He continued to progress in the Australian rugby scene, featuring in 12 of the Waratahs' 13 games during the 2005 season. A good Waratahs season which saw the side make it to the final, only to be defeated by the Crusaders, saw Elsom selected as number six for the opening Wallaby test of 2005 against Samoa. Making his debut against Samoa along with Hugh McMeniman and hooker Stephen Moore. Elsom scored the opening try of the match and has since held his place as Australia's first choice number six despite strong competition. In 2005, Elsom re-signed with the 'Tahs', which saw him stay at the New South Wales franchise until the end of the 2008 Super 14 season.
In 2007 Elsom was named captain of the Waratahs for their week 12 clash with the Highlanders in Sydney and also brought up his 50th appearance for the Waratahs. Elsom also received the Matt Burke Cup for the Waratahs in 2007 along with the Herald Award for the best performing Super 14 player of 2007 and the NSW Medal for outstanding contribution to NSW rugby.
In 2007, Elsom was named the most valuable flanker in Australia. In his world cup debut, he scored a hat-trick of tries and performed many "huge hits" against Japan. Setting a record for the fastest hat-trick by a forward in World Cup history (18.33 minutes). In late 2007 Elsom played Number Eight in the Barbarians VS. South Africa match where he scored an unforgettable try early in the second half which helped the Barbarians push past the World Champion South Africa and eventually record a memorable victory.
In 2008 Elsom was awarded the 'Wallaby of the Year' after playing in all but one match of the Wallaby's Tri-nations tests and scoring a crucial try to defeat the All Blacks in Sydney. That year, Elsom signed a one-year deal with Irish provincial side Leinster to join them in September 2008. He has developed into the dominant members of the Australian forward pack, becoming the first choice blindside flanker after starting in all but one of the Wallabies 20 Test matches over the past two calendar years.
In 2009 Elsom was awarded 'Leinster Rugby Player of the Year' wining an unprecedented 70% of the popular vote. Elsom the only non-Irish winner of the award was also voted 'European Player of the Year 2008/09' after Leinster won the Heineken Cup with 3 man of the match performances from Leinster's six wins. In the Magners League Elsom picked up 11 'Man of the Match' awards from his last 13 outings and was judged the 'Magners League Player of the Year 2008/9' as well as being included in both Celtic and European 'Dream Teams' along with fellow Leinster player Brian O'Driscoll. So popular did Elsom become during his time with Leinster, that the fans developed a ‘Rocky’ chant, taken from the Rocky films, which they rolled out every time the Australian flanker appeared in Leinster colours. Elsom moved to Leinster Rugby in 2008, with a view to competing in the Heineken Cup. He was instrumental in Leinster winning their first title, awarded man of the match in two of the three playoff games, including the final, where he was credited with inspiring the pack to a 19–16 victory over the Leicester Tigers. He is a massive physical presence in the pack, consistently breaking top level tackles. In May 2009, Elsom was named in the Barbarians squad to play England and Australia along with Leinster colleagues Gordon D'Arcy and Chris Whitaker .[3][4]
In June 2009 he signed a two-year contract with the ACT Brumbies, citing his desire to resume his international career with the Wallabies as the deciding factor in his decision.[5] Back after a stint with Irish club Leinster in the European Cup and Celtic League, Elsom starts his fifth season as a member of the Wallabies poised to join a select group of Australian players who have surpassed a half century of Test caps. Prior to his time in Dublin, which saw him miss Australia's Spring Tour, Elsom had established himself as a regular fixture in the Wallabies side, starting in 31 of the 32 Tests which he was available for since the beginning of 2006. Elsom made a major impact at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, scoring three tries in his first World Cup match against Japan, which saw him take out the Man of the Match honours. He was then man of the match again when Australia broke its eight-year drought on South African soil by beating the Springboks 27–15 at Durban in 2008. Elsom joined the CA Brumbies in 2010 on a two year contract but injuries restricted him to 13 appearances.[6]
He again was picked in the 45-man squad to tour Britain and Ireland in November 2009. On 9 October 2009, Elsom became Australia's 76th test captain, replacing Stirling Mortlock.[7]
As of the end of 2009, his captaincy record for the Wallabies stands at, two losses (against New Zealand and Scotland), two wins (against England and Wales) and a draw against Ireland in which he scored a try at the 60th minute to put his team back in front.
In late 2009, Elsom set up Elsom Nutrition, a sports nutrition brand.[8]
In the first Bledisloe Cup Match of 2010, Elsom captained his side to a mixed defeat. The Wallabies managed to put 28 points on the All Blacks with only 14 men for more than 50 minutes of the game against a full strength All Black side. Elsom himself scored the last try for the Wallabies.[9]
In 2011, Rocky Elsom agreed to rejoin the NSW Waratahs on a two year deal.[10]
In March 2006, Elsom was suspended for four weeks for fighting with South African Prop Jaco Engels.[11] The incident was in retaliation to Engels joining a fight between NSW Prop Matt Dunning and Richard Bands in a Super 12 Match in Pretoria. Englis and Dunning received 1 and 3 weeks suspension for their part in the incident, while Elsom's heftier ban was justified for repeating blows to the head of an opponent.
In late 2008, Elsom retaliated to Connacht lock Michael McCarthy after he had been head-butted. Elsom retaliated by throwing a punch at McCarthy's head, despite being held back by several Leinster and Connacht players. He was yellow carded and Mike McCarthy was red carded, because he had already been sin binned previously in the game.
| Preceded by George Smith |
Australian national rugby union captain 2009-2011 |
Succeeded by James Horwill |
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