South African Player Wessels Given Nine-Game Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
The player will be unavailable for South Africa's autumn internationals.
Springbok prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine matches for making contact with Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC win over Connacht.
The altercation happened in the 18th minute of the narrow victory against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after reacting angrily by striking Wessels on the head.
After Murphy reported the incident to the match official, the event was checked by the television match official, who concluded no definitive proof.
Wessels remained on the field until he was substituted in the later stages of the game.
Although the URC announced that Murphy's 20-minute red card was overturned by a governing body, the Springbok was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which specifies:
"A player should not engage in actions that is contrary to the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or compressing the genitals."
The panel concluded that the contact reached the red card threshold and justified a 12-week suspension, the minimum suspension under World Rugby rules for such an infringement.
Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by 21 days because of his good conduct prior to and at the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Bulls have the right to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension 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.
Wessels will also miss the his club's URC games against Glasgow, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Saints.
The prop has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.
Murphy, in contrast, is available to face the Irish rivals in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.
