South African Forward Wessels Handed Nine-Game Ban for Inappropriate Contact

South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine games for touching Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' URC win over Connacht.

This event occurred in the 18th minute of the close contest against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head.

After the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was checked by the TMO, who found insufficient clear footage.

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

Although the URC confirmed that the Irish player's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a governing body, Wessels was found to have violated the code of conduct, which declares:

"Any athlete must not do anything that is against the principles of fair play. This includes touching, pulling or compressing the genitals."

The panel were satisfied that the incident met the level for dismissal and warranted a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under World Rugby rules for such an infringement.

However, the player's suspension was reduced by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

Wessels and the Bulls are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will prevent the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, France, Italy and Ireland.

He will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Warriors, the 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 included in their Rugby Championship-winning team during the recent tournament.

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