'It was scary': Leeds Rhinos' Danny Levi reveals he 'couldn't feel my body' after neck injury shock

The game was stopped for more than 10 minutes after Levi was knocked cold in an accidental collision near Rhinos’ line late in the first half. He was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to hospital in Wakefield for checks, but allowed home the same day and is expected to make a full recovery.

It was one of the most frightening incidents seen in a recent Betfred Super League match and speaking about it publicly for the first time, Levi was keen to thank the medical teams for their care. He told The Yorkshire Evening Post: “I am all good now.

“It was a bit scary at the time, but I was lucky to have good medical staff - not just Leeds, but Castleford and all the NHS staff - to look after me. I want to say a massive thank you to all of them for checking up on me and making sure I am good and looking after me as well.”

Of what happened, Levi added: “It is surprising, I pretty much remember the whole lot. I didn’t realise I got knocked out, I thought I was only sparked out for a couple of seconds, but watching it, I was out for a little bit.

“I came to pretty quickly and when I did I looked on one side and my arm was in a funny position. I thought ‘oh no, I’ve broken it, I can’t feel it’. Then I couldn’t feel my other arm or my legs and the panic started setting in. It was a bit scary for the next five minutes, not being able to feel my body, but I started getting a bit of tingling back in my fingers and then my toes and once that started happening I started to calm down a bit. I was really lucky and I am really happy with how everything worked out.”

Levi’s wife Kimberley and daughter were both at the game. Levi recalled: “A lot of wives might have panicked, but she was strong and she made sure my daughter didn’t see anything. My daughter really had no idea what was going on, she was too busy wanting another ice cream. She [Kimberley] was my rock, I am lucky she was there for her support and I am happy everything is all good now.”

Though Rhinos haven’t put a date on Levi’s return to action, coach Brad Arthur has confirmed he will be sidelined for at least a month from the date of the incident, on July 19. “I have got the concussion stand down period and with the neck injury I have still got a bit of numbness in my left arm,” Levi revealed.

“I think it is a week by week sort of thing to get full motion and full strength back into that. Hopefully it shouldn’t be too long and I’ll be good to go.”

The scene shocked spectators in the ground and television viewers and Levi stressed: “I want to thank supporters from Leeds, Castleford fans and NRL and Super League fans in general for sending me awesome messages.

“It was really heartwarming, I can’t thank everyone enough for their wishes. I’ve had people checking up on me so it is awesome, a really good feeling and I really appreciate the love they’ve been sending me.”