Springbok Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Match Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
The player will be unavailable for the Springboks' upcoming test matches.
Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.
The incident happened in the early stages of the close contest against Connacht on last Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after striking back by striking the South African on the head area.
After Murphy reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the event was checked by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage.
Wessels stayed on the field until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
While the URC announced that Murphy's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was deemed to have violated the code of conduct, which specifies:
"Any athlete must not do anything that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes grabbing, twisting or compressing the genitals."
Disciplinary officials determined that the incident reached the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum ban under World Rugby rules for such an violation.
Nonetheless, Wessels' ban was shortened by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the hearing and his good record.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will prevent the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, France, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
He will also miss the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Saints.
Wessels has won ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning team during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to face the Irish rivals in Saturday's domestic clash after being exonerated.
