South African Forward Wessels Receives Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab
The player will be unavailable for the Springboks' fall fixtures.
Springbok prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for grabbing opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' URC win over the Irish province.
This event occurred in the early stages of the Bulls' 28-27 win against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by striking the South African on the head area.
Following the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was reviewed by the television match official, who determined no definitive proof.
Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was replaced in the second half of the match.
While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that Murphy's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have breached law 9.27, which states:
"Any athlete should not engage in actions that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals."
The panel concluded that the event met the level for dismissal and justified a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under international rugby regulations for such an infringement.
However, the player's ban was shortened by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior during the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but currently, the ban will rule the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team.
He will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup games with Bègles and Saints.
Wessels has earned ten international appearances for South Africa and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, meanwhile, is eligible to face the Irish rivals in Saturday's domestic clash after being exonerated.