My rugby hero: Rocky Elsom

During the 2019/20 Champions Cup, we dig through the archives to highlight a hero from a previous tournament. Next up, it's Rocky Elsom.
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Rocky Dan Elsom was born on 14 February 1983 in Melbourne and was an outstanding back-row who earned 75 caps for the Wallabies. His talent was obvious from an early age and, after making his debut for the Waratahs in Super Rugby, Elsom captained the Australian age-grade side at the 2003 U21 World Cup.
Impressive form at franchise level meant it wasn't long before the flanker was being called up to the national squad and he duly appeared for the first time in a gold jersey in 2005 against Samoa. Over the next two years, Elsom became a key player for Australia and was an automatic first choice pick for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Although that ended in disappointment, with England stunning one of the pre-tournament favourites 12-10 in the quarter-final, Elsom was arguably their best player in France. He continued to perform well in both Super Rugby and at...

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