Springbok Player Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Match Ban for Inappropriate Contact
Wessels will be unavailable for South Africa's upcoming test matches.
South Africa prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine games for making contact with Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.
The altercation took place in the early stages of the close contest in Galway on last Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after reacting angrily by hitting the South African on the head area.
After the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was checked by the television match official, who concluded no conclusive video evidence.
Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was replaced in the second half of the match.
While the URC announced that Murphy's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a governing body, the Springbok was deemed to have violated the code of conduct, which states:
"Any athlete should not engage in actions that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or compressing the private areas."
Disciplinary officials concluded that the incident reached the red card threshold and justified a 12-week suspension, the shortest suspension under World Rugby rules for such an infringement.
However, Wessels' ban was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his good record.
The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but currently, the suspension will rule the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team.
He will additionally be absent for the his club's league matches against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
Wessels has won ten international appearances for South Africa and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning squad during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to face the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being cleared.
