David Barnes with the latest news from the Top 14
Racing bosses got more than they bargained for when they watched Munster’s last match in preparation for today’s Champions’ Cup semi-final. For in the other team of the Pro 14 fixture in South Africa was Johan Goosen, their former player making his comeback with the Cheetahs.
En route next season to Montpellier where president Mohed Altrad paid Racing more than £1.5m to seal the most controversial transfer in the history of French rugby.
Fly-half Goosen walked out of his contract with Racing almost two years ago after winning the title and, at the same time, the accolade of being voted the country’s best player.
Very soon after negotiating a rise to match his exploits in their colours, he upped sticks to work on a horse farm back home, kept himself fit and waited patiently for a more lucrative move elsewhere.
It was an unprecedented initiative that is almost certain to attract abuse wherever he goes on Top 14 grounds.
In fact, he has already been condemned in his own country by former Springbok prop Keith Andrews who said: “You can’t just retire like this, break your contract when you are at the top of your form and come back less than two years later.
“I doubt he’ll have as much pleasure playing in France as he did last time. He risks being not very popular with fans. And I am not even talking about those of Racing when he goes back there.
“The French have good memories and don’t like this kind of behaviour. Rugby has no need of mercenaries. You can’t just come back like this and act as if nothing had happened.
“When he extended his contract with Racing until 2020, perhaps he wanted to buy himself a new tractor.
“I still have the weakness of believing rugby men have certain values. Goosen has not behaved like a true professional even though I know he has been badly advised by an unscrupulous agent.”
Goosen played for 63 minutes while scoring seven points in a 19-17 defeat by Munster.
Racing co-coaches Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers were unimpressed. The former said: “His kicking game was good, but he also had a handling fault that gifted a try to Conor Murray.
“We will see what he will do now with his career, but it is already a waste in relation to his potential and the direction he was taking.”
When Goosen won his best player award, he attracted more support even than All-Black megastar Dan Carter, who is expected to start on the bench against Munster this afternoon.
But both Labit and Travers refused to see any valid comparison between the players.
Labit said: “From having been close to both, there is a great difference in mentality, education and intelligence between Dan Carter and Johan Goosen.”
And Travers added: “Dan has won titles in almost all the competitions he has disputed with both club and country. The only one missing is the Champions Cup. There is only one Dan Carter. He cannot be compared.”
Both men feel they learned a lot when losing the Champions Cup final to Saracens two years ago. They say Racing were so desperate to win they started with players below peak fitness. Like Carter, for example.
Labit explained: “Saracens are the example for us. They learned to come back better and finally win. We also learned a lot from that final.
“Our Top 14 title a month later was nourished by our defeat in the European final. We learned that these games are too demanding to put players on the pitch who are less than 100 per cent.”
Racing scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, concussed early against Saracens, has more reasons than most for craving a second chance.
He is having his finest season since joining Racing from Agen six years ago and started his career in Bordeaux where the semi with Munster takes place.
Machenaud said of his opposite number Conor Murray: “He proved during the last Lions tour that he wasn’t far from being the best player in the world in his position.
“He is not the most spectacular No.9 but, technically, he is the cleanest. People sometimes forget he is an excel-
“Goosen has not behaved like a true professional even though I know he has been badly advised”
lent defender, too. He is often in position to help his flankers. When I watch Conor’s matches, I see that he tackles ten times more than me. He tackled like a dog against Toulon.”
Machenaud has seen a psychologist every fortnight for the last 18 months, a move he believes has helped him succeed with 90 per cent of his goal kicks.
Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti is smart enough to have built a huge fortune. So you must assume he is being disingenuous in criticising Munster for not accepting his idea of playing the semi in his own U Arena.
He did say, however: “I thought naively that Paris would be more accessible for their supporters and their players knew our ground for having already played there. It is disappointing, but we are not going to cry about it.” Munster were never going to fall for that one.