No Leinster reunion for Rocky

A RETURN to Leinster for Heineken Cup-winning hero Rocky Elsom has been dismissed in the province, despite reports to the contrary in his native Australia.

The Sydney Morning Herald suggested Australia skipper Elsom was “likely to return to Leinster” following this year’s World Cup, part of an expected exodus of Wallabies stars to Europe at the end of the tournament.

The likelihood of Elsom, man of the match in the 2009 Heineken Cup final triumph over Leicester, moving back to Leinster, however, was yesterday dismissed, with France the likely destination for the 27-year-old back rower.

As is standard policy, Leinster officials refused to comment on transfer speculation and although Elsom would be welcomed back as a hero to the RDS, head coach Joe Schmidt has a surfeit of young homegrown back-row talent at present, and an addition is unlikely to be a priority.

Big-spending Toulon, Toulouse, Biarritz and Stade Francais are more probable suitors, with Elsom’s old Leinster boss Michael Cheika offering the chance of a reunion at Stade.

And those clubs are also being linked with a string of other Wallabies, including 26-year-olds Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Adam Ashley-Cooper and even younger stars such as David Pocock and Kurtley Beale.