MELBOURNE, June 28 (Reuters) – Former Australia captain
Rocky Elsom has signed for Japanese club Kobe Steel and injury
means he has almost certainly played his last match for the New
South Wales Waratahs this season, the Super rugby team’s coach
Michael Foley said on Thursday.
Elsom, one of the world’s best blindside flankers when fit,
has managed just three games in an injury-blighted 2012
campaign.
“Rocky is still recovering from a shoulder injury and it’s
getting better all the time, but we probably won’t see him this
year unfortunately,” Foley told reporters. “He’s signed to play
in Japan and we wish him well.”
Elsom, 29, played over 60 matches for the Sydney-based
Waratahs in his first stint from 2003-2008 before heading to
Ireland where he helped Leinster win the Heineken Cup in 2009.
He returned to Australia soon after and led the Wallabies
for the best part of two seasons before being replaced as
captain by James Horwill just weeks out from last year’s World
Cup in New Zealand.
Elsom was omitted from Australia’s squad for the recent
tests against Scotland and Wales, effectively ending his 75-test
career.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom, Editing by Tom Bartlett)
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