South African Player Jan-Hendrik Wessels Receives Nine-Game Suspension for Genital Grab
The player will be unavailable for South Africa's fall fixtures.
Springbok prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for making contact with Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' URC victory over Connacht.
This event occurred in the 18th minute of the narrow victory in Galway on Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head.
Following Murphy reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the event was checked by the television match official, who determined insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player remained on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the game.
Although the URC confirmed that Murphy's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have violated law 9.27, which states:
"A player should not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals."
Disciplinary officials concluded that the contact met the level for dismissal and justified a three-month ban, the shortest suspension under World Rugby rules for such an violation.
Nonetheless, the player's suspension was reduced by three weeks because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but currently, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
He will also miss 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 Northampton.
The prop has won ten international appearances for the Springboks and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.
The Connacht player, meanwhile, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.
