LEVY Nzoungou admits he will have to get back up to speed for the Championship after a spell playing in France.

The Congo-born forward made his first appearance in a Bulls shirt in Sunday’s friendly with Dewsbury after his clearance came through.

But Nzoungou knows he will have to get up to pace again following his time at Albi in the French domestic league.

He said: “I was disappointed about the result but it was pretty good to have a run for the team and see how the level is.

“France is quite different but I was very happy to be back and hopefully I can do better the next game.

“It is more like amateur rugby there and is not as fast as here. But it’s still rugby.

“I did feel it but I have been working very hard in the past couple of weeks to come back at my best level.

“It was good to be playing again.”

The former Hull FC prop came on for a couple of shifts in the 25-12 loss to the Rams but John Kear expects a lot more to come from him.

“I think he looked like a player who had been playing in the French elite rather than the Championship or Super League,” said the Bulls coach.

Sam Barlow’s broken arm will increase the pressure on the big men in Kear’s squad with the season curtain-raiser against London Broncos only 11 days away.

The tight pitch at the Tetley’s Stadium, the club's base for the 2020 campaign, means the forwards can expect to see plenty of the action.

Nzoungou added: “The injury has put us in a bit of trouble but we’ll just have to work harder in the middle.

“We saw on Sunday that we’re going to do a lot of work but that’s good.

“Just because we’re not playing at our home stadium, we will still play hard every time. We’ll be ready for it next time now we know what it is like there.”

Steve Crossley will have a big role to play and Nzoungou is keen to learn from playing in tandem with the Bulls captain.

He said: “It’s great because he is always there to give you that little thing you need or that’s missing. He is pushing you every time.

“It’s good having him working next to you because it just encourages you to play harder and try to be at the same level as him.

"We have a young squad but we don't really see anyone being different when we are out there.

"We try to play hard at the same level, whether it is the young guys or the older ones."

Kear will hope to have Anthony England available after illness to bolster his pack options for the final warm-up against York.