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

Springbok prop Wessels has been suspended of nine matches for grabbing Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over the Irish province.

The incident happened in the 18th minute of the narrow victory in Galway on Friday, with Connacht forward Murphy receiving a 20-minute red card after striking back by striking the South African on the head.

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

Wessels stayed on the field until he was substituted in the second half of the match.

While the United Rugby Championship confirmed that Murphy's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was deemed to have violated law 9.27, which declares:

"A player should not engage in actions that is contrary to the principles of fair play. This includes grabbing, pulling or compressing the private areas."

The panel were satisfied that the incident reached the level for dismissal and justified a three-month ban, the minimum suspension under World Rugby rules for such an violation.

However, Wessels' ban was reduced by three weeks because of his cooperative behavior during the hearing and his clean disciplinary history.

Wessels and the Pretoria-based team are entitled to challenge the decision, but currently, the suspension will rule the young player out of the South African national team's autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and Ireland.

Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's URC games against Glasgow, the Lions and the Cell C Sharks, as well as European cup fixtures with Bordeaux and Northampton.

Wessels has won 10 caps for the Springboks and was included in their tri-nations champion squad over the summer.

Murphy, meanwhile, is eligible to play against the Irish rivals in this weekend's inter-provincial derby after being cleared.