Leamy: Elsom left a legacy in Ireland
Just one season at Leinster was enough for Elsom to seal his place as one of the province’s all-time greats.
A man-of-the-match performance in the 2009 Heineken Cup final was his swansong before returning to Australia to win back his place with the Wallabies.
Leamy insists the bulldozing 28-year-old flanker’s influence continues to be felt in the guise of his former Leinster team-mates Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip.
Two seasons after Elsom was crowned European player of the year, O’Brien earned the same accolade, while Heaslip has developed into a world class number eight.
“Rocky had quite a big impact on Irish rugby during the brief time he was playing in Ireland,” said Leamy, the Munster back row. “In his time at Leinster he was excellent, from what I could gather looking in. He brought on the guys around him.
“He’s left a bit of a legacy there. Jamie and Sean were younger than him and he’s definitely rubbed off on them. You can see the dynamism in their game, it’s very similar to the way Rocky plays.”
Elsom, who was relieved of the Wallaby captaincy just three weeks before the World Cup started, was feared across Europe for his destructive ball-carrying and bone-crunching impact in the tackle.
The blindside was in imposing form in the latter stages of the Tri-Nations and must be contained if Ireland are to upset the 1/5 favourites on Saturday.
“I’ve played against some very good back rows over the last few years and he’s certainly right up there at the top,” added Leamy.
“There’s nothing he can’t do. He has a fantastic engine, is a tall man who is good in the lineout and is extremely strong with the ball. There aren’t many weaknesses to his game and he is always very influential.”
The Irish back row face a busy evening at Eden Park, with Leamy highlighting the role they will play in containing Wallaby playmakers Quade Cooper and Will Genia.
Cooper and Genia are Test rugby’s most exciting and unpredictable half-back combination and must be watched closely. “Australia are full of quality so there will be threats across the park,” said Leamy.
“But you have to really look at nine and 10. They’re huge players with a lot of pace and guile. They can change a game in an instant.
“They’re very exciting to watch, hopefully we can shut them down. Our back row must put as much pressure on them as possible. We’ll have to work as unit because if anyone steps out of line, they’ll exploit the space.”
Elsom just yesterday agreed a new deal with the ARU and the NSW Waratahs after opting to leave the Brumbies and will be available for the 2013 Lions tour.
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