South African Player Wessels Given Nine-Match Ban for Genital Grab

Springbok prop Wessels has received a ban of nine games for touching Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.

The incident took place in the early stages of the close contest in Galway on Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head area.

After the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was reviewed by the TMO, who determined no definitive proof.

The Bulls player remained on the pitch until he was substituted in the second half of the game.

While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a governing body, Wessels was found to have violated the code of conduct, which specifies:

"Any athlete should not do anything that is contrary to the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, pulling or squeezing the private areas."

The panel concluded that the incident met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum ban under World Rugby rules for such an offence.

Nonetheless, Wessels' suspension was shortened by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

The forward and the Bulls are entitled to appeal, but currently, the suspension will prevent the 24-year-old out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against Japan, France, Italy and Ireland.

Wessels will also miss the Bulls' league matches against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup fixtures with Bègles and Northampton.

Wessels has earned 10 caps for the Springboks and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.

The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to face Munster in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.