South African Player Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab
Wessels will be unavailable for South Africa's upcoming test matches.
South Africa prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine games for grabbing opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' United Rugby Championship victory over the Irish province.
This event happened in the 18th minute of the Bulls' 28-27 win against Connacht on last Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by hitting Wessels on the head area.
Following the Connacht player complained to the match official, the situation was reviewed by the television match official, who found insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player remained on the field until he was replaced in the second half of the match.
Although the URC confirmed that Murphy's temporary sending-off was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was deemed to have breached law 9.27, which specifies:
"Any athlete should not engage in actions that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers grabbing, pulling or compressing the private areas."
The panel determined that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum ban under international rugby regulations for such an offence.
However, the player's suspension was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the ban will prevent the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team.
He will additionally be absent for the Bulls' league matches against Warriors, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bègles and Saints.
Wessels has earned 10 caps 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 Saturday's domestic clash after being cleared.
