Springbok Forward Wessels Handed Nine-Match Ban for Inappropriate Contact
The player will be unavailable for the Springboks' fall fixtures.
Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The incident happened in the early stages of the Bulls' 28-27 win against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head.
After Murphy complained to the match official, the event was checked by the television match official, who concluded no definitive proof.
The Bulls player stayed on the pitch until he was replaced in the later stages of the game.
While the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's temporary sending-off was overturned by a governing body, Wessels was found to have violated the code of conduct, which states:
"Any athlete must not do anything that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or squeezing the private areas."
Disciplinary officials determined that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an infringement.
However, the player's ban was reduced by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.
The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but currently, the suspension will rule the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and Ireland.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Saints.
The prop has won ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning team over the summer.
Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to face Munster in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.
