South African Forward Wessels Receives Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab
The player will miss for the Springboks' upcoming test matches.
Springbok front-rower Wessels has received a ban of nine games for making contact with opponent 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 narrow victory against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by striking the South African on the head area.
Following the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was checked by the television match official, who determined no definitive proof.
Wessels stayed on the field until he was substituted in the second half of the match.
Although the URC announced that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was found to have breached the code of conduct, which declares:
"Any athlete should not do anything that is against the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, pulling or squeezing the genitals."
The panel determined that the incident reached the level for dismissal and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an infringement.
However, Wessels' suspension was shortened by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior during the proceedings and his good record.
The forward and the Pretoria-based team have the right to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will rule the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
Wessels will also miss the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bègles and Northampton.
Wessels has earned 10 caps for South Africa and was part of their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament.
Murphy, meanwhile, is available to face Munster in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.
