South African Player Wessels Given Nine-Game Ban for Inappropriate Contact

Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine games for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' URC victory over Connacht.

This event happened 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 striking Wessels on the head.

After Murphy reported the incident to the match official, the situation was reviewed by the TMO, who concluded no definitive proof.

Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the second half of the game.

While the URC confirmed that Murphy's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a governing body, Wessels was found to have breached law 9.27, which declares:

"Any athlete should not engage in actions that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers touching, pulling or squeezing the genitals."

Disciplinary officials were satisfied that the contact met the red card threshold and justified a 12-week suspension, the shortest ban under international rugby regulations for such an offence.

Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

The forward and the Bulls are entitled to appeal, but currently, the ban will rule the young player out of the Springboks' fall internationals against Japan, France, the Azzurri and Ireland.

Wessels will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bègles and Northampton.

Wessels has earned ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning squad during the recent tournament.

Murphy, in contrast, is available to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's domestic clash after being exonerated.