đŸ”— Share this article South African Forward Wessels Given Nine-Match Suspension for Genital Grab The player will be unavailable for South Africa's upcoming test matches. South Africa prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for touching Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' URC win over the Irish province. The altercation occurred in the early stages of the close contest against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head area. After the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the event was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage. The Bulls player stayed on the field until he was substituted in the second half of the game. While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a governing body, the Springbok was found to have violated the code of conduct, which declares: "Any athlete should not do anything that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or squeezing the private areas." The panel concluded that the event reached the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest ban under international rugby rules for such an infringement. Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by three weeks because of his good conduct prior to and at the hearing and his good record. The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team. He will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Northampton. The prop has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament. Murphy, in contrast, is available to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.
The player will be unavailable for South Africa's upcoming test matches. South Africa prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine matches for touching Josh Murphy's genitals during the Blue Bulls' URC win over the Irish province. The altercation occurred in the early stages of the close contest against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting Wessels on the head area. After the Connacht player reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the event was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded insufficient clear footage. The Bulls player stayed on the field until he was substituted in the second half of the game. While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was withdrawn by a governing body, the Springbok was found to have violated the code of conduct, which declares: "Any athlete should not do anything that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers touching, twisting or squeezing the private areas." The panel concluded that the event reached the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest ban under international rugby rules for such an infringement. Nonetheless, the player's ban was shortened by three weeks because of his good conduct prior to and at the hearing and his good record. The forward and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, Italy and the Irish team. He will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Glasgow, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Northampton. The prop has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was part of their tri-nations champion team during the recent tournament. Murphy, in contrast, is available to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's domestic clash after being exonerated.