South African Forward Wessels Given Nine-Game Ban for Inappropriate Contact
Wessels will be unavailable for the Springboks' upcoming test matches.
Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' URC win over Connacht.
The incident occurred in the early stages of the narrow victory in Galway on last Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after striking back by hitting Wessels on the head area.
Following the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the event was checked by the TMO, who concluded no conclusive video evidence.
Wessels stayed on the field until he was substituted in the second half of the game.
While the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a governing body, Wessels was found to have violated law 9.27, which specifies:
"A player should not do anything that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers grabbing, twisting or compressing the genitals."
The panel were satisfied that the incident reached the red card threshold and justified a 12-week suspension, the minimum suspension under international rugby regulations 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.
The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but currently, the suspension will prevent the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against Japan, France, Italy and Ireland.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
Wessels has earned ten international appearances for South Africa and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning team over the summer.
The Connacht player, meanwhile, is eligible to face Munster in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.
