South African Forward Wessels Receives Nine-Game Suspension for Inappropriate Contact

Springbok front-rower Wessels has received a ban of nine matches for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC win over the Irish province.

This event took place in the early stages of the close contest in Galway on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after responding aggressively by striking the South African on the head.

Following Murphy reported the incident to the match official, the situation was checked by the television match official, who found insufficient clear footage.

The Bulls player remained on the pitch until he was replaced in the later stages of the game.

Although the United Rugby Championship announced that Murphy's temporary sending-off was overturned by a disciplinary panel, Wessels was found to have breached the code of conduct, which declares:

"A player must not engage in actions that is contrary to the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, pulling or squeezing the genitals."

The panel determined that the contact met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest ban under international rugby rules for such an offence.

Nonetheless, Wessels' ban was shortened by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

Wessels and the Pretoria-based team have the right to challenge the decision, but as it stands, the suspension will prevent the young player out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, France, the Azzurri and Ireland.

Wessels will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Northampton.

The prop has earned ten international appearances for the Springboks and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad during the recent tournament.

Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to face the Irish rivals in Saturday's domestic clash after being cleared.