South African Player Wessels Receives Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab

Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for making contact with Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' URC win over Connacht.

This event took place in the early stages of the Bulls' 28-27 win against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after striking back by hitting Wessels on the head area.

Following Murphy reported the incident to the match official, the event was examined by the television match official, who found no definitive proof.

The Bulls player stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the second half of the match.

While the URC announced that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was overturned by a governing body, Wessels was deemed to have breached law 9.27, which specifies:

"A player should not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers touching, pulling or compressing the genitals."

The panel concluded that the event reached the level for dismissal and justified a three-month ban, the minimum ban under international rugby regulations for such an infringement.

However, Wessels' ban was shortened by three weeks because of his good conduct prior to and at the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but currently, the suspension will rule the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and Ireland.

Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Saints.

Wessels has earned 10 caps for the Springboks and was included in their tri-nations champion squad over the summer.

The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to face Munster in this weekend's domestic clash after being cleared.