A former Salford Red Devils and Bradford Bulls star has retired to become a firefighter after enduring serious injuries during his rugby league career.
The Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) awaits former St Helens youth forward Levy Nzoungou after he was forced to retire in September following a number of bad injuries.
“My last two years in rugby was the hardest part as that’s when I started picking up the injuries,” Nzoungou told the BBC.
“After I snapped my Achilles, I just said that was enough.”
Born in Brazzaville – the capital of the Republic of the Congo -Nzoungou signed with St. Helens and was a star player for their Under-19s academy team, later joining Melbourne Storm to play in the NRL Under-20s.
After a very brief spell with Melbourne, the prop returned to France and joined Toulouse Olympique on a short-term deal, making his professional debut in the Championship in 2017 against the Rochdale Hornets.
In 2018 he joined Salford Red Devils before joining Hull FC later that year though he was limited to just one appearance.
Nzoungou would later sign for Bradford and Widnes before retiring three months ago.
Now, the 24-year-old cannot wait to get started with the fire service, detailing how happy he is to make the transition.
“I’m so happy I have,” he said.
“The fire service does a brilliant job helping people and I wanted to be part of that.”
Meanwhile, CFRS chief fire officer Alex Waller outlined the potential for other people to join the fire service by attending taster sessions in the New Year.
“We are offering anyone who wants to see if this could be the role for them the chance to try out at one of our taster sessions in January,” Waller added.
