Springbok Player Wessels Handed Nine-Game Ban for Genital Grab
Wessels will be unavailable for South Africa's fall fixtures.
Springbok front-rower Wessels has been suspended of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The altercation occurred in the 18th minute of the close contest against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by hitting the South African on the head.
After the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was examined by the television match official, who found insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player remained on the field until he was replaced 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 governing body, Wessels was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which states:
"Any athlete should not engage in actions that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or compressing the genitals."
Disciplinary officials concluded that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under international rugby rules for such an violation.
Nonetheless, Wessels' suspension was shortened by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his good record.
Wessels and the Bulls are entitled to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will rule 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 also miss the his club's URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Saints.
Wessels has earned ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion squad during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is available to face Munster in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.
