South African Forward Wessels Handed Nine-Match Ban for Inappropriate Contact
The player is ruled out for the Springboks' upcoming test matches.
Springbok prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine games for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over Connacht.
This event happened in the early stages of the narrow victory against Connacht on Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after striking back by hitting Wessels on the head area.
After the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the situation was checked by the television match official, who found no definitive proof.
The Bulls player stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the game.
Although the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's 20-minute red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was found to have violated law 9.27, which declares:
"A player must not engage in actions that is contrary to the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers grabbing, pulling or compressing the genitals."
Disciplinary officials determined that the incident met the red card threshold and warranted a 12-week suspension, the minimum suspension under international rugby regulations for such an violation.
Nonetheless, the player's suspension was reduced by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
Wessels and the Bulls have the right to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the ban will prevent the young player out of the Springboks' fall internationals against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and the Irish team.
Wessels will also miss the Bulls' league matches against Warriors, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.
Wessels has won 10 caps for South Africa and was part of their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.
Murphy, meanwhile, is available to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.
