South African Player Wessels Receives Nine-Match Suspension for Genital Grab

South Africa prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine games for making contact with opponent Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.

The incident took place in the early stages of the narrow victory against Connacht on last Friday, with opposing player Josh Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after reacting angrily by hitting Wessels on the head area.

After Murphy reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the event was examined by the television match official, who determined insufficient clear footage.

Wessels stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.

While the URC confirmed that Murphy's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was deemed to have violated law 9.27, which declares:

"Any athlete should not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers grabbing, pulling or squeezing the genitals."

The panel concluded that the event met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest suspension under World Rugby regulations for such an violation.

However, Wessels' suspension was reduced by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the proceedings and his good record.

The forward and the Bulls have the right to appeal, but currently, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and Ireland.

He will also miss the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bègles and Saints.

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

The Connacht player, in contrast, is eligible to play against Munster in Saturday's domestic clash after being exonerated.