South African Player Wessels Receives Nine-Match Ban for Inappropriate Contact
The player is ruled out for South Africa's autumn internationals.
South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for grabbing Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship victory over Connacht.
The incident took place in the early stages of the narrow victory against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head.
Following the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the event was checked by the television match official, who found no conclusive video evidence.
Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
Although the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's temporary sending-off was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have violated the code of conduct, which declares:
"A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or squeezing the genitals."
The panel were satisfied that the event met the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the shortest ban under international rugby rules for such an infringement.
Nonetheless, the player's suspension was reduced by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the hearing and his good record.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will prevent the 24-year-old out of the Springboks' fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and Ireland.
He will also miss the Bulls' league matches against Glasgow, the Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Northampton.
The prop has won ten international appearances for South Africa and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.
Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to play against Munster in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.
