Springbok Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Match Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
Wessels is ruled out for South Africa's upcoming test matches.
South Africa prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine games for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The altercation took place in the early stages of the narrow victory in Galway on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by striking Wessels on the head.
After Murphy complained to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was reviewed by the television match official, who determined no definitive proof.
Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was replaced in the later stages of the game.
While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that Murphy's temporary sending-off was overturned by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was found to have breached the code of conduct, which states:
"A player should not do anything that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or compressing the private areas."
The panel determined that the event met the red card threshold and justified a 12-week suspension, the minimum ban under international rugby rules for such an offence.
However, the player's suspension was shortened by three weeks because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Bulls have the right to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will prevent the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, France, Italy and the Irish team.
Wessels will also miss the his club's URC games against Glasgow, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Northampton.
Wessels has earned 10 caps for the Springboks and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning team over the summer.
Murphy, in contrast, is eligible to play against Munster in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.
