South African Forward Wessels Handed Nine-Game Ban for Inappropriate Contact

South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels has received a ban of nine games for making contact with Josh Murphy's private parts during the Blue Bulls' URC victory over Connacht.

The altercation occurred in the early stages of the close contest against Connacht on Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy receiving a temporary dismissal after striking back by hitting Wessels on the head area.

Following the Connacht player complained to referee Mike Adamson, the event was reviewed by the television match official, who concluded no conclusive video evidence.

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

Although the URC confirmed that Murphy's temporary sending-off was withdrawn by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was found to have violated law 9.27, which specifies:

"Any athlete should not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes grabbing, pulling or squeezing the private areas."

The panel determined that the incident reached the red card threshold and justified a three-month ban, the shortest ban under World Rugby regulations for such an violation.

However, Wessels' ban was reduced by 21 days because of his cooperative behavior prior to and at the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.

Wessels and the Pretoria-based team have the right to appeal, but currently, the suspension will rule the 24-year-old out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against the Brave Blossoms, France, the Azzurri and Ireland.

Wessels will additionally be absent for the his club's league matches against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Northampton.

Wessels has earned ten international appearances for South Africa and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad over the summer.

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