May 22, 2009

Expatriate Australia star Rocky Elsom has been given the all clear to play for Irish club Leinster against England's Leicester in Saturday's Heineken Cup rugby final in Edinburgh after being involved in a car crash earlier this week.

The Test flanker is part of a strong Australian contingent at Leinster, which also includes his former Waratahs captain and Wallabies halfback Chris Whitaker, head coach Michael Cheika and consultant coach Alan Gaffney.

Leicester also boasts an Australian connection, with former Wallabies centre Matt O'Connor the backs coach of the powerful English club.

Elsom sent a scare through his Dublin-based team after he was involved in an accident, but Cheika cleared the 40-Test star for Saturday's European rugby showpiece.

“I took a bit of a blow to the head, but all the airbags went off, so I'm okay, the car is a write-off though, I'm afraid,” Elsom said on the Ireland's Evening Herald website.

“My leg was sore after the Munster (semi-final), but that has also cleared so I'm fit and ready for Saturday's match.”

Cheika said Elsom did contact work at Leinster's training session Wednesday.

Elsom, who is being courted by both the New South Waratahs and Queensland Reds, is still to sign a contract with the Australian Rugby Union.

He is continuing to earn accolades and awards for his outstanding form with Leinster.

Elsom won Leinster's player of the year award just under two weeks ago and this week was named in the Magners League Dream Team.

Voted on by fans and the media, the team comprises players from the Scottish, Welsh and Irish teams that contest the competition.

Backrower Elsom, who will return to Australia to play for the Barbarians against the Wallabies in Sydney on June 6, paid tribute to former Randwick club coach Cheika for bringing him across to Ireland.

“It took a hell of a long time and a lot of work, so I appreciated that effort,” Elsom said on the Leinster website.

Elsom, 26, will be looking for a major final victory after playing in the NSW team which lost both the 2005 and 2008 Super finals to the Crusaders.

The Heineken Cup, which is open to the leading European club and provincial teams is the northern hemisphere's second tier equivalent of the Super tournament.

Elsom's importance to Leinster has been noted by Leicester captain Geordan Murphy, who described him as possibly their stand out player this season, a “truly tremendous signing.”

Whitaker, who captained the Waratahs in their 2005 Super final loss, was under no illusions about Leinster's task of beating newly crowned English league champions and two times Heineken Cup winner Leicester.

“For us to win the game, we're going to have to be playing at our best and match them physically,” he said.

Cheika has enjoyed a successful time with Leinster, having guided the Irish province to the Magners League title in 2007-08 and the Heineken Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals in previous seasons.

AAP

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html