Springbok Player Wessels Given Nine-Game Suspension for Genital Grab
The player will be unavailable for South Africa's upcoming test matches.
South Africa prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine games for touching Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.
The altercation happened in the 18th minute of the narrow victory against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after striking back by striking the South African on the head.
Following Murphy complained to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was checked by the TMO, who determined no definitive proof.
The Bulls player stayed on the field until he was replaced in the second half of the match.
While the URC confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was deemed to have violated the code of conduct, which declares:
"Any athlete must not do anything that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or compressing the private areas."
The panel were satisfied that the contact met the red card threshold and justified a 12-week suspension, the minimum suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an offence.
Nonetheless, the player's suspension was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the hearing and his good record.
The forward and the Bulls are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will rule the young player out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Saints.
The prop has earned 10 caps for the Springboks and was included in their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament.
Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to face Munster in this weekend's domestic clash after being cleared.
