Murphy made the accusation after he lashed out at Wessels, striking the front-rower twice on the head in retaliation to feeling as though his genitals were grabbed and twisted.<\/p>\n
Nine-week ban<\/p>\n
Adamson was unable to substantiate the claim and instead punished the Connacht forward, issuing him with a 20-minute red card.<\/p>\n
After the match, Murphy spoke with the citing commissioner, with Planet Rugby exclusively obtaining a recording of the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt the player grab my testicles and that\u2019s when I reacted immediately,\u201d he said in review of the incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what happened, that\u2019s why I reacted because of how he grabbed and squeezed my testicles \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t have reacted otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the full judgment, seen by this publication, the citing commissioner admits that the live television feed did not produce conclusive proof of wrongdoing by Wessels but states that his \u2018direct line of sight\u2019 from approximately 20 metres away from when the incident occurred, corroborated the sequence of events described by Murphy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMurphy entered the ruck legally, eventually positioning his left arm over the back of Bulls<\/a> No.2, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Both players were grounded, yet still actively engaged in the ruck,\u201d the Citing Commissioner\u2019s report read.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, Murphy was positioned to the left of Wessels, with their bodies in close proximity \u2013 Murphy\u2019s head near Wessels\u2019 hips and vice versa. It is at this juncture that the alleged act of foul play occurred.<\/p>\n \u201cThe live television feed, while not conclusive in capturing direct contact, clearly shows Wessels\u2019 right elbow grounded and his head turning backwards toward Murphy. Simultaneously, Wessels\u2019 left arm, partially obscured, can be seen moving in an unnatural, arc toward Murphy\u2019s groin area.<\/p>\n \u201cThe movement is not consistent with any legitimate rucking, grasp or binding action.<\/p>\n \u201cImmediately following the contact, Murphy reacts with visible and audible distress. He attempts to push\/strike Wessels away and can be heard, several times, on the referee\u2019s microphone exclaiming, \u2018He grabbed me right here!\u2019 gesturing unmistakably to his groin. His tone is one of shock, distress, and disbelief, yet he remains articulate and composed in his protest.\u201d<\/p>\n Exclusive: Full details emerge of Jan-Hendrik Wessels\u2019 ban and Josh Murphy\u2019s role in it<\/a><\/p>\n Images used in the case<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI was present at the match, positioned approximately 20 metres from the incident. My direct line of sight corroborated the sequence of events as described by Murphy and partially captured on video.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reaction from Murphy was immediate and unmistakably one of frustration. While the video footage does not provide irrefutable visual confirmation of the exact point of contact, the totality of evidence, Murphy\u2019s immediate reaction, his consistent and credible testimony, the unnatural movement of Wessels\u2019 arm, and the corroborating live observation, leads to a compelling conclusion.<\/p>\n \u201cThe movement of Wessels\u2019 left arm, away from his body and toward Murphy\u2019s groin, is not only unnatural but also unnecessary in the context of ruck engagement. His backward glance further suggests awareness.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the balance of probabilities, and in light of the evidence presented, it is my firm belief that Vodacom Bulls No.2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels committed a serious act of foul play by grabbing and, as alleged, twisting the testicles.\u201d<\/p>\n SA Rugby locked in \u2018urgent\u2019 talks to resolve Springboks players\u2019 release issue as URC teams\u2019 demands revealed<\/a><\/p>\n Included in the judgment were three images that were used to prove that the act had taken place.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing the image above, the video shows C6 moving his hips upwards and away from where the Player\u2019s arm is located. This is shown in the image below,\u201d the judgment reads.<\/p>\n \u201cImmediately following the image above, the video shows, C6, with his head turned to directly face and look at the Player, swinging his arm and striking the Player with the inside of his forearm as a reaction to what has occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n In the \u2018decision\u2019 section of the judgment, the committee deems Murphy\u2019s evidence of the events to be \u2018credible\u2019 but added that they also \u201cconsidered that C6 had his own interests to serve in giving an exculpatory explanation for him striking the Player as he was facing a disciplinary hearing for his Red Card also, but notwithstanding this the Committee found his evidence to be credible.\u201d<\/p>\n It is repeatedly noted that clear video evidence of the alleged grope was not available, but \u201cThe Committee\u2019s view is that the video footage supports the evidence put forward by the Citing Commissioner and C6, rather than the Player [Wessels].\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, the committee determined that \u201con the balance of probabilities that the Player\u2019s actions were intentional.\u201d<\/p>\n Shocking Jan-Hendrik Wessels update proves URC disciplinary process needs a complete overhaul after shambolic failure<\/a><\/p>\n Wessels to appeal the ban<\/p>\n The Bulls have confirmed that they will appeal the committee\u2019s decision to ban Wessels for nine weeks, with the forward set to miss all five of the Springboks<\/a>\u2018 November internationals as well as the start of his club\u2019s Investec Champions Cup campaign.<\/p>\n However, if they are to successfully overturn the ban, they will need to prove to the committee\u2019s satisfaction that he did not commit the act of foul play.<\/p>\n \u201cThe burden is on that player (if they so wish) to demonstrate to the satisfaction of a committee that the Citing Commissioner\u2019s complaint was wrong because the player did not commit the act(s) of Foul Play specified in the complaint and\/or those act(s) did not warrant a red card (Rule 7.6.11.1),\u201d the introduction of the judgement confirmed.<\/p>\n At the hearing, the committee decided that Wessels was successful in doing so: \u201cThe Committee is satisfied that the Player has not discharged the burden on him pursuant to rule 7.6.11.1 of the Rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Wessels has already missed one game for the Bulls, their defeat to Glasgow Warriors in round five of the URC, but Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus will be hoping that will be the only fixture and that he successfully appeals the decision.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Images-from-the-incident-involving-Jan-Hendrik-Wessels-and-Josh-Murphy-1024x576.jpg\")
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