Doug Laughton unloads under pressure from New South Wales’ players, Ron Coote and Billy Smith (up high) and an unidentified player during the 1970 British Tour
Doug Laughton had the honour of playing a role in the try which clinched the Ashes for the Great Britain Rugby League side in 1970, the last time the Lions won a Test series against Australia.
Britain led 18-17 in the dying minutes of the Third and deciding Test at the SCG, and the Kangaroos were playing with renewed confidence after second rower Bob McCarthy had scored a try against the run of play. But any hopes of a home side victory disappeared when British lock, Mal Reilly and second rower, Laughton combined to set-up a try for five eighth, Roger Millward. Millward missed the conversion but the Lions hung on for a deserved 21-17, five tries to one victory.
Born in Widnes, Laughton had started his senior career with St Helens, but was playing for bitter rivals, Wigan when chosen for the 1970 tour. He played all three Tests against Australia and both Test wins over New Zealand on that amazing tour. He played 10 more Tests for Britain, his last on the disastrous 1979 tour of Australia when he captained the tourists in the First Test, a match won 35-0 by Australia, with Indigenous winger, Larry Corowa scoring a try on debut for the home side. Laughton also played one Test for England – a 6-2 loss to Wales at Headingley in 1977.
Laughton had been offered the captaincy role for Great Britain’s 1974 tour of Australia and New Zealand, after leading the Lions to Test match victories over France at Wigan and in Grenoble. He declined, instead accepting an offer from Canterbury-Bankstown to play in the Sydney competition. That ended disastrously, with Laughton walking out early in the season after he was stripped of the captaincy.
A classy player, and a fine runner of the ball, Laughton was good at off-loading at the right time and was a formidable defender. They didn’t come much better.
After his stints with St Helens and Wigan he signed with his home town club, Widnes and won Wembley Challenge Cup Finals with the Chemics in 1975 and 1979. He then went on to coach Widnes, and was instrumental in signing future box office hits, Jonathan Davies (Wales), Alan Tait (Scotland) and Martin Offiah (England) from rugby union. Davies and Tait were already established stars in rugby, but Offiah was an unknown. In 1989 Widnes defeated Australian champions, Canberra in the World Club Challenge match played at Anfield.
Laughton coached Leeds in the 1990s, taking them to Wembley Cup finals in 1994 and 95, only for the Yorkshire club to lose to Wigan on both occasions.
Doug Laughton died on March 16, 2025, aged 80.
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