Springbok Player Wessels Given Nine-Game Suspension for Genital Grab
Wessels will be unavailable for South Africa's autumn internationals.
South Africa front-rower Wessels has received a ban of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over Connacht.
The altercation occurred in the early stages of the close contest against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head.
After the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the event was reviewed by the TMO, who found insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player stayed on the field until he was substituted in the second half of the game.
Although the United Rugby Championship confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was overturned by a governing body, the Springbok was deemed to have breached law 9.27, which states:
"Any athlete must not do anything that is contrary to the principles of fair play. This includes touching, twisting or compressing the genitals."
The panel were satisfied that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the shortest suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an infringement.
Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his good record.
Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but currently, the ban will prevent the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team.
He will additionally be absent for the his club's league matches against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Northampton.
The prop has won ten international appearances for South Africa and was part of their tri-nations champion team over the summer.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.
