Jan Hendrik Wessels banned!

….for the supposed insensitive hold. This is going to be a howdy-do!

In a twist that could rival any soap opera, Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been slapped with a nine-week ban from rugby. The incident that led to this hefty suspension? Allegedly a sneaky grab of Connacht flank Josh Murphy's crown jewels during a particularly heated United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls. Despite the drama unfolding in the 18th minute, and Murphy's vehement complaints to referee Mike Adamson, the cameras missed the action. Consequently, Wessels played on, while Murphy saw red for his fiery retaliation.

The lack of video proof didn't stop a disciplinary committee from grounding the 23-year-old Wessels on Sunday. They handed down a suspension that could see him benched for a good chunk of the season. This decision was made even as whispers from those close to the situation suggested evidence was as thin on the ground as hair on a billiard ball. According to a report by Rapport, a source emphasized the committee's reliance on testimonies over tangible proof

Wessels can cover both LH and Hooker. Will Rassie replace him with a specialist hooker or a prop?

I hope Erasmus doesn’t pull another Eskom move to cover Hooker…..

Maybe another scrummie! Or Deon Fourie?

I see the board clowns are already suggesting Rassie will get the replacement selection wrong even before it is made!

I wonder if Plum notices this extremely biased attitude from two old arm chair critics who haven't got a clue!

Face facts we have some wacked out loons posting here.

Well he did play Deon Fourie as his WC hooker sub….oh dear, you forgot! So I guess you are saying Dr Lucky got that one wrong.

By the way crazies Rassie won the Rugby World cup with that squad. Suck it up loons I know the Boks winning the RWC was a very painful experience for you!

Diversion…..are you saying Lucky got the Fourie selection wrong?

FFS Beeno just chill and take your pill….you are worse than a old lady with a wet panty!

Nothing harsh from me or Moz, just straight talk as usual. Poor Dr. Lucky will survive:)

Dave, get your lackey’s in line, they’re losing the plot:)

It's called humour, Beeno.

Try it some time

Pretty dumb of Wessels to grab the guys balls if that’s what he did

Pervert…..

In the bedroom maybe but not on the field

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Springbok rugby player and utility front rower for the Bulls, has been reportedly handed a nine-week suspension for an alleged act of foul play during a United Rugby Championship match against Connacht on October 17, 2025. The incident involved an accusation that Wessels grabbed an opposing player, Josh Murphy, in the groin area during a breakdown.

Despite no conclusive video evidence of the incident and Wessels not being sanctioned during the game itself, a disciplinary committee later ruled against him and imposed the lengthy suspension.

The Bulls have not yet received formal official communication but plan to appeal the decision. This ban, if upheld, could rule Wessels out of action until 2026 and affect his participation in ongoing tours and matches with the Springboks.?

The decision has sparked controversy and backlash, with criticism focusing on the lack of clear evidence and concerns about setting a precedent for bans based on hearsay and non-video evidence.?

That Wessels guy is too :)

Knater mater

I can't believe that would ban a player with absolutely no evidence, just some Irish Twat non stop moaning.

Fuck, this makes me hate the Irish even more. I thought my hate meter was at capacity but now I hate them into the grave

This is why one plays in the backline….get in among the forwards and you never know what can happen. I wonder if they actually talked to players from both sides though.

The ban sets a very dangerous precedent given he has been found guilty where no material evidence exists

Relying on hearsay alone speaks volumes for the powers that be

I trust this will be appealed?

Damn right….’it’s only a penalty for hands on the ball’ one fan opined.

Yeah, the amount of time my private parts made contact with people and the other way around is astounding. Especially if you going to drop your junk in someone's face. If Wessels touch it, it was probably to get it out of his face.

Maybe he wanted Wessels to more, we know how gay these guys are

9 weeks is steep though.

Dang, especially if there is no clear evidence to show what happened. For all they know, Wessels could have extended his arm in that direction and the Irishman used pretended it was a "grab".

Finny, you can't award or overturn tries in the face of inconclusive evidence...but apparently such evidence is enough to ruin a player's season.

And his reputation.

I looked at that video again, if anything, Wessels hand might got caught. The guy was just falling on players in the ruck, trying to swim through, Xaba tries to pull him away but he just keeps crawling over players in the ruck. At this point Wessels already is making a clean out with his shoulder bound. The Irish twat land on Wessels back and should with his growing right over him while he puts his full weight.Wessels might have tried to pull his arm free.

no, these guys are cunts, probably all Irish

fuck them

It’s being appealed - any representation worth his weight, will rip the case to shreds

no, these guys are cunts, probably all Irish

I'm an Irish person, I suspect that Wessels is guilty as I can't imagine Josh Murphy reacted the way he did otherwise, but I'm also very surprised Wessels was sanctioned without video evidence and I think it's wrong, unless some more concrete evidence comes to light.

But Christ on a bike reading both South African social media and mainstream news, this constant victimisation mentality make you lot insufferable.

‘You lot’….you certainly know how to insult a fella. But the whole thing is implausible a modern day Irishman with balls? Have the little men in suits agreed to this?

Adorable troll attempt...bless your little heart.

Well I didn’t want you to go on whining, it looks so effeminate.

"But Christ on a bike reading both South African social media and mainstream news, this constant victimisation mentality make you lot insufferable."

We believe we're victims and the Irish believe they're tough.

Small delusions we all suffer from.

Stop attackimg the Irish please, The Committee members who decided on the Wessels ban are all from Wales,

Wales is in Ireland Mike...

Plum

I must admit I do not understand the above statement, What do you mean to convey?

Now you know the rest of us feel ;)

Your bullshit baffles brains, Plum.

BStrss ogf Urckesr for um, Pakie yYou takE thr cake

"Now you know the rest of us feel ;)"

He should have the feel test, if they're still round then no damage done but if they've gone square he might need a replacement.

I vote Plum does the touch test - if the name fits

Could be a Houston.

I don't know how the man could stand after having his knackers "squeezed for 5 seconds".

A packet slap had rendered me utterly useless, gasping and wishing for the relief death would bring for a minute or three.

So according to World Rugby Regulations, when it comes to disciplinary hearings the standard of proof is based on the balance of probabilities which is a lower standard than beyond reasonable doubt. In effect it mean's the player under investigation has to prove he's not guilty.

That’s simple - I never grabbed his balls sir and there is no video evidence to prove I did - there is just evidence of an Irish twat crying foul, much like Curry vs Bongi and the white cunt

I'll concede that there could be something that I'm not aware of about that approach that makes it better suited to this type of adjudication.

But damn, it fails the sniff test. EG;

Johnny Mc Plaintiff "Hey Ref, Eben said he is going to eat my children and shag my wife on my grave?"

Ref "When did he say that?"

Johnny Mc Plaintiff "Just now, over there, not on camera and I don't believe there were any microphones or witnesses present."

WR "Hey Eben, prove you didn't threaten Johnny's family."

Eben "I can't."

Doh!

This article shows the still images used to find him guilty. As we mentioned during the live thread, it looked like he had a fiddly diddly. He could also have been trying to push the player off him and got his hand in an unfortunate spot. It's a strange position for his arm to be in however you look at it.

Well based on the balance of probabilities, Wessels probably was guilty.

As far as I'm aware neither player has a history of being dirty, cheating or violent reactions nor was their history between the players or the clubs in particularly.

Players don't tend to react like Murphy did unless there was something untoward going on. I mean if is a deliberate attempt by Murphy to get Wessels sent off it was the dumbest way of going about it, striking the player in the back of the head, getting himself sent off and leaving his team down a player for 20 minutes in a tight winnable match.

So the disciplinary panel took Murphy's account and the video footage into consideration. They concluded from the video footage that Wessels arm was in an unnatural position.

Now you could still argue that there was contact in the groin area but it was accidental and Murphy overreacted and subsequently lied or exaggerated what happened to avoid further sanction himself.

Bur Wessels representative claimed that Wessels hand was pushing down on a leg to relieve pressure on his on his own knee and free his own leg. He accepted based on his position that he could of touched the groin area of the Connacht player but said he did not.

In the end I think that's might be where the panel thought Wessels wasn't being truthful because he might have been able to argue that yes he had pressed on Murphy's groin accidentally but denying there was any contact at all seems unplausible.

Tis a very slippery slope.

The referees aren't dealt with to this same standard. They'll say things like "Refs have to make so many decisions in a game that one can't hold them to a perfect standard."

As though Wessels action in that ruck was the only decision he had to make in the entire game...with the added pressure of risk of personal injury.

IE Take perfect action in the heat of the moment or we will "assume" the worst.

Not saying that Wessels is innocent - just that I don't like the method of adjudication because it appears obviously flawed.

Strav your take leans towards the victim, my take could quite easily lean towards the accused

Far too many if’s and but’s to draw any conclusions and on that basis the sanction is far too high

The lack of material evidence and the reliance on players versions of the facts leaves very little to merit such a harsh sanction

Everything about this process smacks of incompetence on the part of the executioners

Everything about this process smacks of incompetence on the part of the executioners

Don't see how you can call it incompetence, if the standard of proof was on the balance of probabilities which under World Rugby rules it is, then they are permitted to rule the way they did.

Totally incompetent sanctioning him for 9 matches on the strength of hearsay

Well wouldn't it be odd if they are allowed to rule against a player using the balance of probabilities as the standard but the sentencing was dictated by a higher standard.

For me, you don't adjudicate that way because of exactly this type of situation.

There are cameras everywhere. It's super rare that you won't actually see what occurred. And so to compensate for the exception you totally screw up the rule.

Nah, I can't get on board with that.

If there is no evidence, despite a million cameras around, then you do what courts do...say there is no evidence and you can't punish on a "feeling".

Once you start handing out bans on hearsay and “balance of probabilities,” you open the door to pure subjectivity.

No video evidence, no clear proof, just opinions dressed up as justice. That’s not discipline; that’s dictatorship.

If WR can punish players on nothing but claims, the game loses every shred of integrity.

Next thing you know, careers get wrecked over accusations that can’t even be verified. Dangerous precedent! Rugby runs on laws, not feelings.

No video evidence, no clear proof, just opinions dressed up as justice. That’s not discipline; that’s dictatorship.

This isn't Mike's Gripes forum...leave Donald Tru....oh wait never mind I see your point.

:)

Let’s look at this balance of probabilities. Wessels was a certainty for Springboks YE tour. How probable is it that he would jeopardize that a week before the tour starts?

This is an arbitrary decision, with not a shred of evidence to support it, other than the reactions of Murphy. And anybody who has watched batsmen, certain they never touched a cricket ball ……should know intuition is often wrong.

This is a permanent mark on Wessels career and the committee gives it the authority of a legal judgement. But nobody would be found guilty in a court of law based on this evidence.

I'm very disappointed by how meekly we've all responded to this.

We should take Beeno's lead, join a terrorist organisation and swear an oath to the flag of Vengeance!!!

WR must die!

It's on par with Emperor Donald J Trump murdering alleged drug smugglers in the Pacific Ocean.

No proof, no evidence....no justice.

I see he has lost his appeal but had his sentenced reduced by a week

Wankers

"It's on par with Emperor Donald J Trump murdering alleged drug smugglers in the Pacific Ocean.

No proof, no evidence....no justice."

Nonsense...there's still rule of law, you just don't like it being apllied for a change...