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South African Forward Wessels Handed Nine-Game Suspension for Inappropriate Contact
Wessels will be unavailable for the Springboks' fall fixtures.
Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels faces a suspension of nine games for touching Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' United Rugby Championship win over the Irish province.
The incident took place in the 18th minute of the close contest in Galway on Friday, with Connacht forward Josh Murphy being shown a temporary dismissal after responding aggressively by hitting the South African on the head area.
Following Murphy complained to the match official, the event was reviewed by the television match official, who found insufficient clear footage.
The Bulls player stayed on the pitch until he was substituted in the later stages of the match.
Although the United Rugby Championship announced that the Irish player's 20-minute red card was rescinded by a disciplinary panel, the Springbok was deemed to have violated law 9.27, which states:
"A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. This includes touching, pulling or squeezing the private areas."
Disciplinary officials determined that the incident met the red card threshold and warranted a three-month ban, the shortest ban under World Rugby regulations for such an violation.
However, the player's ban was reduced by 21 days because of his good conduct during the proceedings and his clean disciplinary history.
The forward and the Bulls are entitled to appeal, but as it stands, the ban will prevent the 24-year-old out of the Springboks' autumn Tests against Japan, Les Bleus, the Azzurri and Ireland.
He will additionally be absent for the Bulls' URC games against Warriors, the Emirates Lions and the Sharks, as well as Investec Champions Cup games with Bordeaux and Saints.
Wessels has won ten international appearances for the Springboks and was included in their Rugby Championship-winning squad during the recent tournament.
Murphy, meanwhile, is available to play against the Irish rivals in Saturday's inter-provincial derby after being exonerated.
Kim Ramirez
A passionate golfer and journalist with over a decade of experience covering PGA tours and equipment innovations.
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