Springbok Player Wessels Given Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab
The player will be unavailable for South Africa's upcoming test matches.
South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for touching opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The incident happened in the 18th minute of the close contest in Galway on last Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head.
After the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the contact was examined by the TMO, who found insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that Murphy's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a governing body, the Springbok was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which declares:
"Any athlete must not engage in actions that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or compressing the private areas."
The panel concluded that the incident reached the level for dismissal and justified a three-month ban, the minimum ban under international rugby regulations for such an offence.
However, 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 have the right to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will rule the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the Bulls' league matches against Glasgow, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bègles and Northampton.
The prop has earned ten international appearances for South Africa and was included in their tri-nations champion squad over the summer.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's domestic clash after being cleared.
