Springbok Forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels Given Nine-Game Suspension for Genital Grab

Springbok prop Wessels faces a suspension of nine games for touching opponent Josh Murphy's private parts during the Bulls' URC win over the Irish province.

This event happened in the early stages of the close contest in Galway on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after reacting angrily by striking the South African on the head area.

Following Murphy reported the incident to referee Mike Adamson, the contact was reviewed by the television match official, who determined no conclusive video evidence.

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

While the URC confirmed that the Irish player's temporary sending-off was rescinded by a governing body, the Springbok was deemed to have violated law 9.27, which states:

"A player should not engage in actions that is against the principles of fair play. Such behavior covers grabbing, pulling or squeezing the private areas."

Disciplinary officials concluded that the contact met the red card threshold and justified a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under international rugby rules for such an infringement.

However, Wessels' ban was reduced by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the hearing and his good record.

Wessels and the Pretoria-based team have the right to challenge the decision, but currently, the ban will rule the 24-year-old out of the South African national team's fall internationals against the Brave Blossoms, France, Italy and Ireland.

He will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.

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, meanwhile, is eligible to face the Irish rivals in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.