Corry hails Elsom’s transformation

BARBARIANS captain Martin Corry, says Rocky Elsom’s game has undergone rapid transformation since moving to Leinster at the beginning of the season.

Corry, who leads the Baa-baas in today’s invitational against England at Twickenham, saw Elsom’s impact at close quarters during last weekend’s Heineken Cup final when his club Leicester Tigers failed to stem the rampaging Aussie.

Corry, the 35-year-old second rower in his farewell season with Leicester, will today team up with Elsom, a player he described as a “revelation”.

“(Elsom) has been a revelation over here. Playing for England against Australia, and seeing how he plays for Leinster, he has completely changed his style of play. He has been immense.

“I hadn’t seen him carry the ball like that before. The Leinster game plan was about getting Rocky the ball in space and get him running at people. The question was ‘How could you stop it?’ A lot of guys in the Magners League couldn’t do it, and in the European Cup final, we couldn’t either.”

Such performances elevated Elsom to hero status in Leinster and put extra pressure on him to remain in Ireland for another season. It also intensified the pressure on the Australian Rugby Union to lure him back for the domestic season. It appears Elsom’s future won’t be fully known until Leinster begin pre-season training in five weeks.

Elsom plays his final match in the northern hemisphere today before returning down under where he will again wear the Baa-baas colours in an invitational match against Australia.

The 26-year-old flanker is included in a line-up with 632 caps-worth of international experience. Head coach David Young has included a host of All Blacks including Ben Blair, Doug Howlett and Justin Marshall in the backline, and Clarke Dermody, Greg Somerville, Chris Jack and Jerry Collins up front. Ireland is represented with Heineken Cup winner Gordon D’Arcy in the centre alongside Wasps Josh Lewsey.

ENGLAND: D Armitage (London Irish); B Foden (Northampton), J Noon (Newcastle), J Turner-Hall (Harlequins), M Banahan (Bath); A Goode (Brive), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Wilson (Newcastle); S Borthwick (Saracens) (cpt), L Deacon (Leicester), C Robshaw (Harlequins), L Moody (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins). Replacements: S Thompson (Brive), N Wood (Gloucester), C Jones (Sale), S Armitage (London Irish), J Haskell (Wasps), P Hodgson (London Irish), T May (Newcastle).

BARBARIANS: B Blair (Cardiff & New Zealand); D Howlett (Munster & New Zealand), J Lewsey (Wasps & England), G D’Arcy (Leinster & Ireland), I Balshaw (Gloucester & England); G Jackson (Saracens) J Marshall (Saracens & New Zealand); C Dermody (London Irish & New Zealand), S Brits (Stormers & South Africa), G Somerville (Gloucester & New Zealand); M Corry (Leicester & England), C Jack (Saracens & New Zealand); J Collins (Toulon & New Zealand), S Betsen (Wasps & France), R Elsom (Leinster & Australia).

Replacements: S Bruno (Sale & France), B J Botha (Ulster & South Africa), P Tito (Cardiff), P Waugh (Waratahs & Australia), C Whitaker (Leinster & Australia), M Catt (London Irish & England), R Nasiganiyavi (Waratahs).

Referee: R Poite (France).