South African Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Handed Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab

Springbok prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been suspended of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.

The incident happened in the 18th minute of the narrow victory against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head area.

Following the Connacht player complained to the match official, the contact was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded no conclusive video evidence.

Wessels remained on the pitch until he was replaced in the later stages of the match.

While the URC announced that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have breached law 9.27, which declares:

"A player must not engage in actions that is contrary to the spirit of good sportsmanship. Such behavior covers touching, pulling or squeezing the genitals."

Disciplinary officials determined that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under international rugby regulations for such an violation.

Nonetheless, Wessels' ban was shortened by three weeks because of his good conduct during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but currently, the suspension will rule the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against Japan, France, Italy and the Irish team.

Wessels will also miss the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Saints.

The prop has won ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion squad during the recent tournament.

The Connacht player, meanwhile, is available to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.