South African Forward Wessels Receives Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab

South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for making contact with Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over Connacht.

This event took place in the early stages of the Bulls' 28-27 win against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head area.

After the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was examined by the television match official, who determined insufficient clear footage.

The Bulls player remained on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.

While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that the Irish player's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a governing body, the Springbok was deemed to have breached the code of conduct, which declares:

"Any athlete must not engage in actions that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or squeezing the genitals."

The panel concluded that the event reached the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an offence.

However, the player's ban was reduced by three weeks because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his good record.

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 fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri 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 European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.

Wessels has earned 10 caps for South Africa and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning team over the summer.

The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.