Racing 92 have confirmed that Ronan O'Gara will leave the club to take up a coaching post with Crusaders in New Zealand on 1 January.
The former Munster and Ireland out-half joined the French club in 2013 and had been under contract until 2019, but will now head to Christchurch to work alongside head coach Scott Robertson.
In a statement, Racing said that O'Gara was keen to make the move at this time, a move that will allow him to "enrich his rugby knowledge and improve his training methods".
They also added that they "did not want to deprive one of its faithful servants of a great opportunity".
