Springbok Forward Wessels Given Nine-Match Suspension for Genital Grab
The player will miss for the Springboks' autumn internationals.
South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for making contact with Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The altercation occurred in the early stages of the narrow victory against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by striking Wessels on the head.
Following Murphy complained to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was examined by the television match official, who determined no conclusive video evidence.
Wessels stayed on the field until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
While the United Rugby Championship announced that the Irish player's temporary sending-off was overturned by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which specifies:
"Any athlete must not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or squeezing the genitals."
Disciplinary officials determined that the incident reached the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under World Rugby rules for such an infringement.
Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
The forward and the Bulls have the right to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the suspension will prevent the young player out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and Ireland.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Northampton.
Wessels has won 10 caps for South Africa and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning team over the summer.
Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being cleared.