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Bret Harris | June 04, 2009
Article from: The Australian
ROCKY Elsom has nominated his Heineken Cup-winning Leinster teammate Gordon D'Arcy as an ideal candidate to be a marquee foreign player in a Super 14 team.
A brilliant inside centre, D'Arcy has played Test rugby for Ireland and represented the British and Irish Lions. He has also been named Six Nations player of the tournament twice.
Elsom believes D'Arcy would suit the style of game played in the Super 14.
"I don't know exactly what he is thinking, but he is a player who would suit the style down here because he is really quick," Elsom said. "He is really good in traffic and like you saw in the (Barbarians) game against England last weekend, he is just phenomenal at making breaks. You'd think he would be a good fit."
At 29 years of age, D'Arcy would also be at the right time of his career to consider playing outside Ireland.
There are tax incentives for veteran Irish Test players to finish their careers in Ireland while younger players are trying to establish themselves as internationals.
"Gordon would be around the right age to go and come back," Elsom said.
"There are a lot of players in the northern hemisphere who would like to join Super 14 if they could."
Elsom, who will play number eight for the Barbarians against the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday night, is anxious to rejoin the Australian squad as soon as possible after signing with the ARU and the Brumbies.
He is hoping to play for the Wallabies against Italy in Canberra on Saturday week.
"I knew it before I left anyway, but the most important thing for me is to play the Tri-Nations and the Bledisloe.
"Whether that happens is something else, but at least I'm here and trying to do that."
Even though he has played non-stop for 18 months, Elsom did not feel as if he needed a break from the game.
"You'd think that's something you have to watch out for, but I sometimes think it is more important to do the right things all the time than necessarily having a big break," Elsom said.
Elsom was lauded in Ireland for his performances for Leinster, but he did not think he had played any better than he did for the Wallabies last year.
"They said over there I was in the best form of my career, but I don't think I was exactly dragging the chain back here before I left," Elsom said.
The Waratahs fans at the Barbarians-Wallabies game will be disappointed that the next time they see Elsom play at the Sydney Football Stadium he will be wearing Brumbies colours.
It is understood negotiations with the Waratahs did not run as smoothly as Elsom would have liked, prompting him to explore other options.
After long negotiations with Queensland Reds, Elsom decided at the last minute to join Matt Giteau at the Brumbies, who are now regarded as early favourites for the 2010 Super 14 title.
"You always have that (expectation)," Elsom said. "We are going to have a good team.
"But people will definitely ask questions if we are not successful," he said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html