South African Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Handed Nine-Match Ban for Inappropriate Contact

Springbok prop Wessels has received a ban of nine games for touching Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.

The altercation occurred in the early stages of the narrow victory against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head area.

Following Murphy reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was reviewed by the television match official, who determined insufficient clear footage.

The Bulls player remained on the field until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.

While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was deemed to have violated the code of conduct, which states:

"A player should not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. This includes touching, pulling or compressing the genitals."

Disciplinary officials concluded that the contact reached the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the minimum suspension under international rugby regulations for such an violation.

However, the player's ban was reduced by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but currently, the suspension will prevent the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, France, Italy and Ireland.

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

Wessels has won ten international appearances for South Africa and was included in their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament.

Murphy, in contrast, is eligible to play against Munster in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.