South African Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Receives Nine-Game Suspension for Genital Grab

Springbok prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for making contact with Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship victory over Connacht.

The altercation happened in the early stages of the close contest in Galway on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy being shown a 20-minute red card after striking back by hitting the South African on the head area.

Following the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage.

The Bulls player stayed on the field until he was replaced in the later stages of the game.

While the United Rugby Championship announced that the Irish player's temporary sending-off was rescinded by a governing body, Wessels was found to have breached the code of conduct, which specifies:

"A player must not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers grabbing, twisting or compressing the private areas."

The panel determined that the incident met the red card threshold and justified a three-month ban, the shortest suspension under international rugby rules for such an violation.

However, Wessels' suspension was reduced by three weeks because of his good conduct during the hearing and his good record.

The forward and the Bulls have the right to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the Springboks' fall internationals against Japan, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team.

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

The prop has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament.

The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to face Munster in this weekend's domestic clash after being cleared.