'It was pretty scary': Leeds Rhinos' Bodene Thompson opens up on freak injury

Thompson will bow out on Saturday when Rhinos face New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match at Headingley, two weeks after their Betfred Super League Grand Final loss to St Helens.

Thompson was among Rhinos’ substitutes at Old Trafford in just his second game back from a chest injury suffered during a win at Hull KR in August, but for a while it seemed he would be denied a farewell appearance.

“I tore three of my rib muscles,” Thompson revealed of the damage suffered against Hull KR. “But I also bruised my lung and had fluid on my lung. It was bad, I wasn’t even able to come into training for a week and a half. I had to stay at home.

“I am fine now, but it was pretty scary because I didn’t know what it was. I had a scan and all the rib muscles were torn, but it was more the fluid on my lungs and the bruising on my lungs I was scared about.”

After five weeks on the sideline, Thompson answered an SOS to play in Leeds’ semi-final win at Wigan Warriors - when forwards Rhyse Martin and Morgan Gannon were both unavailable - and retained his place on the bench for the title decider.

He said: “It was a tough one, but Rohan [Smith, Rhinos’ coach] asked me if I could play in the Wigan game and I said I’d be sweet. We jabbed it up like crazy with pain-killers and I got through.

“I was grateful I was put into consideration because I’d missed four weeks before that. I was grateful I got a chance to lace up.

“I was gutted we lost in the Grand Final, but grateful we got there anyway. Where would you rather be, at the bottom coming second-last or at the Grand Final?”

Thompson was born in New Zealand and made more than 100 NRL appearances for Auckland-based Warriors before moving to Super League and admitted playing against the Kiwis this week will be “cool”.

He said: You don’t really get this kind of thing in the NRL, you don’t get to play an international team as a club team.

“It’s a good concept and a once in a lifetime chance to do it, so I am really looking forward to it.”

The fact New Zealand are the opposition - and will have long-serving Wigan half-back/hooker Thomas Leuluai making a guest appearance in his last game - makes it more special.

Thompson added: “It’s an honour to get to play against them so it will be good and it’s class because I played with Thomas Leuluai at the [New Zealand] Warriors.

“It will be cool at the end of the game to see him get a proper send off, that will be awesome.”

Ironically, Leeds - with Thompson making his comeback - ruined Leuluai’s hopes of bowing out at Old Trafford when they beat Wigan in the play-off semi-finals.

“Wigan had already beaten me in a Grand Final, in 2018 [when he was with Warrington Wolves], so I couldn’t have them knocking me out again,” Thompson said.

Thompson is one of five players announced as leaving Rhinos after this weekend. Of his plans for next year, he said: “I am still having discussions with certain people at certain places, but there’s nothing confirmed. I am definitely keen to stay in this country.

“It has been awesome at Leeds and Saturday will be a good game to be involved with. There’s some boys who’ve been here a lot longer than me and have done the club a great service, Tom Briscoe being one of them.

“Adam Cuthbertson’s also having his last game - I know he hasn’t been here for the last two years - so it’ll be good.”

Rhinos returned to training on Monday after time off following the Grand Final. Thompson admitted: “It was really weird, to play your last game and break up and then you are back in training a week later.

“I’ve never done that before in my career so it was quite strange, but I think we’ll just crack on with it and just play a game of footy. We’ve only been off a week so we know what to do and it should put us in good stead.”