South African Player Jan-Hendrik Wessels Handed Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab
Wessels will be unavailable for the Springboks' autumn internationals.
Springbok front-rower Wessels faces a suspension of nine games for grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The incident occurred in the early stages of the narrow victory against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by hitting the South African on the head.
Following the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the event was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage.
Wessels stayed on the field until he was replaced in the later stages of the match.
Although the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a governing body, the Springbok was found to have breached law 9.27, which states:
"A player should not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers grabbing, twisting or compressing the private areas."
The panel determined that the event reached the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the shortest suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an infringement.
However, Wessels' suspension was shortened by 21 days because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
The forward and the Bulls are entitled to appeal, but currently, the suspension will prevent the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's fall internationals against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
Wessels has earned 10 caps for South Africa and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning team during the recent tournament.
Murphy, in contrast, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's domestic clash after being cleared.
