South Africa Hooker Wessels' Suspension Reduced After Appeal

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, a prominent South African hooker, faced disappointment as his appeal to overturn a nine-week suspension was denied. The United Rugby Championship confirmed the ruling on Wednesday but noted the suspension would be reduced by one game.

Initially penalized for allegedly grabbing the genitals of Connacht flanker Josh Murphy during a match in Galway, Wessels was found guilty by a URC disciplinary panel. Despite his denial and the absence of video evidence, the citing commissioner's complaint upheld the ruling, impacting Wessels' participation in upcoming matches.

Wessels' subsequent appeal led to a minor victory, with the independent appeal committee recognizing errors in the panel's original sentence calculation. Consequently, the suspension was reduced to eight weeks, rendering Wessels unavailable for the Springboks' forthcoming Autumn International series fixtures.