South African Forward Wessels Receives Nine-Match Ban for Inappropriate Contact
The player is ruled out for South Africa's fall fixtures.
Springbok prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for touching opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.
The altercation occurred in the 18th minute of the close contest against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after reacting angrily by hitting Wessels on the head.
After the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was checked by the TMO, who determined insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player remained on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
While the URC announced that Murphy's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a governing body, the Springbok was found to have violated the code of conduct, which declares:
"A player should not engage in actions that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, twisting or compressing the private areas."
The panel concluded that the event reached the red card threshold and justified a three-month ban, the shortest ban under World Rugby rules for such an offence.
However, the player's ban was shortened by 21 days because of his good conduct during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.
The forward and the Bulls have the right to appeal, but currently, the suspension will prevent the young player out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against Japan, France, Italy and the Irish team.
He will also miss the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Northampton.
Wessels has earned ten international appearances for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament.
The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to play against Munster in Saturday's domestic clash after being exonerated.
