South African Player Wessels Given Nine-Game Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
Wessels is ruled out for South Africa's fall fixtures.
Springbok front-rower Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.
This event occurred in the 18th minute of the narrow victory in Galway on Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after reacting angrily by striking the South African on the head area.
After the Connacht player reported the incident to the match official, the situation was checked by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage.
Wessels remained on the pitch until he was replaced in the second half of the game.
While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that Murphy's temporary sending-off was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was found to have violated the code of conduct, which declares:
"Any athlete must not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, twisting or compressing the genitals."
Disciplinary officials determined that the incident met the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the minimum suspension under international rugby rules for such an infringement.
However, 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 challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will rule the young player out of the Springboks' fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and Ireland.
Wessels will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Lions and the Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
The prop has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.