South African Player Jan-Hendrik Wessels Handed Nine-Game Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
Wessels is ruled out for South Africa's autumn internationals.
South Africa prop Wessels has been suspended of nine matches for making contact with Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over Connacht.
This event happened in the 18th minute of the Bulls' 28-27 win in Galway on last Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by striking the South African on the head area.
Following the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the contact was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage.
Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was replaced in the later stages of the game.
While the URC announced that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which declares:
"A player must not do anything that is against the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, pulling or compressing the genitals."
The panel determined that the contact reached the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the shortest ban under World Rugby regulations for such an infringement.
Nonetheless, the player's ban was reduced by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his good record.
Wessels and the Bulls are entitled to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the suspension will prevent the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and Ireland.
He will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as European cup games with Bordeaux and Saints.
The prop has earned ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion team over the summer.
Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.
