South African Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Handed Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab
Wessels will be unavailable for South Africa's fall fixtures.
South Africa prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine matches for grabbing opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship victory over Connacht.
The altercation occurred in the early stages of the Bulls' 28-27 win against Connacht on last Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after striking back by striking Wessels on the head area.
After the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the contact was reviewed by the television match official, who found insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player stayed on the pitch until he was replaced in the later stages of the match.
Although the URC confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was found to have breached the code of conduct, which states:
"Any athlete must not engage in actions that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, pulling or squeezing the genitals."
The panel determined that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under international rugby rules for such an infringement.
However, Wessels' ban was shortened by three weeks because of his good conduct during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will rule the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
He will also miss the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Lions and the Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
The prop has earned 10 caps for the Springboks and was included in their tri-nations champion squad during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, meanwhile, is eligible to face Munster in this weekend's domestic clash after being cleared.
