South African Forward Wessels Handed Nine-Match Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
The player will be unavailable for the Springboks' fall fixtures.
Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The incident occurred in the early stages of the close contest against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head.
Following Murphy complained to referee Mike Adamson, the event was checked by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player remained on the field until he was substituted in the later stages of the game.
Although the United Rugby Championship announced that the Irish player's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was found to have breached the code of conduct, which states:
"Any athlete should not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or squeezing the genitals."
The panel concluded that the event reached the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an violation.
Nonetheless, Wessels' ban was reduced by 21 days because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his good record.
Wessels and the Bulls are entitled to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the suspension will prevent the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, France, the Azzurri and Ireland.
He will also miss the his club's league matches against Glasgow, the Lions and the Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
Wessels has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.
The Connacht player, meanwhile, is available to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.
