A fortnight ago, a stunned Ronan O'Gara revealed to BT Sport that he only discovered Johan Goosen had abruptly ended his rugby career via Twitter.
The Racing defence coach was close to the Springbok super-talent, and was left incredulous as anyone. In the two weeks since, Toulon owner Mourad Boujellal has declared that should Goosen's impromptu retirement transpire to be a bluff in order to force a move to Gloucester, the next club to sign him would be "a bastard." Goosen has also seemingly fled his Paris residence and not shown up for work, forcing Racing to issue legal proceedings against the 24-year-old; the club, they announced in an official statement, "is a victim of blatant fraud which Johan Goosen, his associates and various advisers must answer for in court."
Speaking at Racing's press conference on Wednesday, Ronan O'Gara told reporters that he remained in the dark as to the real reasons for Goosen's departure, but explained that Goosen's wife had always wished for him to return to South Africa and live on a farm, as per his conversations with Goosen himself:
I thought a lot about it. I try to put myself in the place of Johan. I don't know what his purpose is, why he made a decision like that.
He's not a weird guy but his decision is very bizarre. It's something almost incredible.
The reality is that this is a very good performer, but if his head is not good, it's not easy for us to do something.
I talked a lot with him, he was convinced that his life was to live on a farm. He said it three weeks ago that it was the will of his wife. If that's it, that's it... But it would be a great loss for rugby.
A future in farming wouldn't quite explain why Goosen claimed he was departing Racing to become a 'commercial director', but it's clear that ROG believes family reasons - and not a move to England - may have swayed the 13-cap Springbok bizarre decision.
Nonetheless, O'Gara told reporters that were Goosen to return to Yves-du-Manoi, hat in hand, he would welcome the former Cheetahs star back into the Racing fold:
There are always opportunities. Everyone makes mistakes. If it comes back saying 'excuse me', I would accept it. But right now it's hard because he did not say that.
It's certainly one of the oddest stories to hit French domestic rugby in some years, during a tumultuous 12 months for Racing. And one would suggest we haven't heard the end of the Johan Goosen saga.
