South African Player Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Match Suspension for Genital Grab
The player will miss for South Africa's fall fixtures.
Springbok prop Wessels has received a ban of nine matches for grabbing opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.
The altercation took place in the 18th minute of the narrow victory in Galway on Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head area.
Following the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the event was examined by the television match official, who found insufficient clear footage.
Wessels stayed on the field until he was substituted in the later stages of the game.
While the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a governing body, Wessels was deemed to have violated the code of conduct, which declares:
"A player should not do anything that is against 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 justified a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under World Rugby rules for such an violation.
Nonetheless, Wessels' suspension was reduced by three weeks because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his good record.
Wessels and the Bulls have the right to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
He will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup games with Bègles and Northampton.
Wessels has won ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion squad over the summer.
Murphy, in contrast, is available to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.
