It is almost a year to the day since Jan Hendrik-Wessels was handed a nine-week suspension for grabbing the testicles of Connacht’s Josh Murphy.
The Springboks front-rower was punished on the balance of probabilities rather than clear, irrefutable evidence, much to the annoyance of the Bulls, South African supporters and Rassie Erasmus himself.
On that occasion, it was Peter Ferguson who was the citing commissioner and brought Wessels before a disciplinary panel, deeming that the action of the Bulls star’s hand going down towards Murphy and the Connacht player’s subsequent reaction was worthy of a citing.
It is therefore by remarkable coincidence that almost exactly 12 months later – the Boks hooker and prop was banned on October 23, 2025 – Ferguson should be the citing officer for the Leinster v Munster clash on October 24, 2026.
Coombes’ allegations
In the 39th minute of that clash between the two arch-rivals, Gavin Coombes alleged that he was the victim of a testicle grab by an as yet unnamed Leinster player. Referee Andrew Brace asked his TMO to have a look but they could not find the evidence to take it further – sound familiar?
In Galway, the officials on the day were unable to determine whether Wessels had transgressed and therefore no action was taken against the Boks front-rower during the game, but that was not enough to save him from a hefty suspension after the match.
Many, especially those of a South African persuasion, will duly be watching with interest to see the outcome of this incident.
Now, there are differences in that during the Connacht-Bulls contest, it was obvious where and when it took place as Murphy lashed out at the perceived injustice, receiving a red card for his reaction before it was rescinded by an independent panel – another judgement which irked observers.
On Saturday, they could not find the relevant footage, which means only Coombes, Munster and the potential transgressor really know when it took place. Clips on social media have surfaced since the game pertaining to be the moment the visiting number eight allegedly had his testicles grabbed, but that has not yet been verified.
It has been claimed, however, that Munster have “clear footage” of the incident, which is available to the citing commissioner.
“I understand Munster have clear footage of the incident that led to Gavin Coombes alleging that he’d been grabbed in the groin area by a Leinster player. That footage will be available to the citing commissioner,” Irish Independent Chief Rugby Correspondent Rúaidhrí O’Connor wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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The province are also very much backing their man with head coach Clayton McMillan coming out in support of Coombes after the game.
“It’s one of those things that we leave in the hands of the powers that be,” McMillan said in the post-match press conference. “All I know is that I back our players 100 per cent that if they make an allegation like that.
“They wouldn’t do it lightly, and that’s not the sort of person Gavin is, so we’ll see where that goes.”
It is now a case of waiting to see what happens and whether a Leinster star is indeed cited. If the usual protocol had been followed, citing commissioner Ferguson would have spoken to Coombes following the encounter.
Should the number eight be as adamant as Connacht’s Murphy was that he was grabbed around the groin area and that be backed up by video evidence which shows a hand or hands around the vicinity, even if evidence is not concrete, there is now obvious precedence to punish the accused.
Leo Cullen, the Leinster head coach, claimed that the Munsterman “changed his mind” after the initial interaction with Brace and it may well be the case that, having reviewed the footage, he does not want to take it further. But should there not be a citing forthcoming then there needs to be an explanation why or else it risks the integrity of the United Rugby Championship and the disciplinary process.
Usually, it is only announced when an individual has been cited but, on this occasion, given the discussion already surrounding it and the judgement that was handed down to
South African supporters are the great conspiracy theorists, but you could understand their frustration over the Wessels case and if Coombes’ allegation is not given the proper consideration then they can quite rightly complain about double standards in this instance.