Springbok Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Match Suspension for Genital Grab
The player is ruled out for South Africa's fall fixtures.
South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for grabbing opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' URC win over Connacht.
The altercation happened in the early stages of the Bulls' 28-27 win in Galway on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by striking Wessels on the head.
After Murphy reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was checked by the TMO, who concluded insufficient clear footage.
Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
While the URC confirmed that Murphy's 20-minute red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which declares:
"Any athlete should not do anything that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals."
The panel concluded that the contact met the level for dismissal and warranted a 12-week suspension, the minimum ban under international rugby regulations for such an violation.
Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the proceedings and his good record.
The forward and the Bulls have the right to challenge the decision, but as it stands, 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 the Irish team.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bègles and Saints.
The prop has earned ten international appearances for South Africa and was part of their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, meanwhile, is available to face the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.
