Bulls wait on tenterhooks to see if Wessels is banned

The Vodacom Bulls are waiting on tenterhooks to hear if their Springbok prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been banned for nine weeks, as reported by the Sunday newspaper Rapport.

Wessels, who was accused during the Bulls win over Connacht this past weekend of grabbing a player by the groin, never was sanctioned during the game because of a lack of video evidence, but has, if the reporting is correct, been given a hefty fine despite the lack of evidence in the game.

Rapport claimed in an article on Netwerk24 that the player has been informed that he was banned for nine weeks because of the incident, but the Bulls have not received any formal communication in this regard.

Players can only receive a ban after the fact if it is said to be a red card incident, if it wasn’t adjudicated on the field as such.

Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone told Supersport: “While the URC has not yet issued official communication, the Vodacom Bulls fully respect and will adhere to the judicial process, which provides for an appeal opportunity.”

If the ban is confirmed officially, there is no doubt the Bulls will want to appeal, as it would be strange to ban a player without video evidence, thereby simply accepting the accusation of an opposition player.

The incident happened during the 19th minute of the game, when Connacht flanker Josh Murphy lashed out against Wessels in the middle of a ruck, striking him in the face and then apologising to the referee, but claiming at the same time that Wessels had grabbed him in the groin area in the ruck.

A nine-week ban based on this evidence alone is ridiculous. Also, there’s still no mention of Murphy striking JH Wessels on the head. And that Irish biased commentary… wow 😂 https://t.co/DZu6MlLAJH pic.twitter.com/qKGRBBjXHg

— Ofentse (@OfentseLehong) October 22, 2025

Whether it happened, accidental or on purpose, the refereeing team as well as TMO Holly Davidson scoured the footage more than 10 times in the game and could find no conclusive evidence of any wrongdoing.

As such, the only incident that the referee could adjudicate on was a strike to the head, which cost Connacht and Murphy a 20-minute red card and incensed the crowd.

But the question remains - how - if multiple replays and an entire refereeing team could find nothing conclusive, could Wessels be banned for the act?

Unless there has been conclusive evidence found in the meantime, it remains a mystery.

The Bulls are likely to appeal and URC are likely only to send out their statement, which is likely to be scrutinised by the Bulls legal team, only on Thursday.

Until then the matter remains in limbo, and Wessels' chances of playing against Glasgow this weekend, and for the Springboks in their five-game tour of Europe, remains in the balance.