Springboks’ Jan-Hendrik Wessels gets nine-week ban for ‘grabbing opponent’s genitals’

Jan-Hendrik Wessels of South Africa celebrate scoring a try during the Qatar Airways Cup match between South Africa and Barbarians F.C in June. Photo / Getty Images

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, the South Africa front-rower, has been banned for nine matches after being found guilty of “grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals” of Connacht flanker Josh Murphy.

Wessels, who has seven caps for the Springboks across both hooker and loosehead, received no on-field sanction from referee Mike Adamson during the Bulls’ 28-27 victory on the Irish west coast, with television replays proving inconclusive.

Reports on X have claimed that no further television evidence was presented in the case of Wessels, 24, but the United Rugby Championship’s independent disciplinary panel still “were satisfied that an act of foul play had occurred and found the incident met the red-card threshold”.

Rassie Erasmus, the South Africa director of rugby, did not specifically refer to the incident on X, but after Wessels’ ban was announced he wrote: “It just got tougher!! We now have to beat them on the field, and in the boardrooms. Hamba man. Tsek. Loop Kak.”

It just got tougher !! We now have to beat them on the field. and in the boardrooms. Hamba man. Tsek. Loop Kak

— Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) October 23, 2025

Erasmus also discovered on Wednesday that wing Makazole Mapimpi had been handed a five-week suspension following a red card for a dangerous tackle against Ulster at the weekend.

Mapimpi was only named on the standby list for the Springboks’ autumn squad, but Wessels was included in the full travelling party for the tour, which includes consecutive Tests against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.

For his part in the Wessels incident, Connacht’s Murphy was shown a 20-minute red card by Adamson for retaliating and striking the South African in the head. On Thursday, after news of Wessels’ ban broke, the flanker’s red card was rescinded. The 30-year-old was charged with physical or verbal abuse but the disciplinary panel found that, “while an act of foul play had occurred, it did not meet the red-card threshold”.

When given his marching orders, Murphy pleaded with Adamson to assess the video footage further with television match official Hollie Davidson.

“He grabbed me here,” Murphy said, pointing to his nether region. “Sir, look at it back, he grabbed me here, I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

Adamson replied: “I understand what you’ve said, I will check that, but listen, what you did is unacceptable …”

Wessels does have the right to appeal, with success his only chance of featuring in South Africa’s autumn internationals, which begin on November 1 against the Cherry Blossoms at Wembley Stadium.