Sean O'Loughlin

Sean O'Loughlin (born 24 November 1982) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a loose forward for and captained the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, and has also played for Great Britain and England at international level.

Sean O'Loughlin
Personal information
Born (1982-11-24) 24 November 1982[1]
Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Playing information
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [1]
Weight15 st 6 lb (98 kg)[1]
PositionLoose forward, Stand-off
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2002–20 Wigan Warriors 458 88 3 2 360
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Lancashire
2009–18 England 25 5 0 0 20
2004–07 Great Britain 11 0 0 0 0
Source: [2][3][4][5]

O'Loughlin made his senior debut for Wigan in 2002, and has captained the side since 2006. He has played his entire club career with Wigan, making over 450 appearances, and winning four Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups and one World Club Challenge with the club. He has been named in the Super League Dream Team on seven occasions, including five consecutive seasons between 2010 and 2014.

O'Loughlin made his international debut in 2004, and went on to earn 11 caps for Great Britain, and an additional 25 caps for England. He was named as England captain in 2014, and has appeared for the team in two World Cups (2013 and 2017).

Background

Sean O'Loughlin was born 24 November 1982 in Wigan, Greater Manchester England.

O'Loughlin's dad, Keiron, and uncle, Kevin, both played more than 250 games for Wigan in the 1970s. His father Keiron O'Loughlin also featured in the 1983–84 Challenge Cup Final for the Widnes side which achieved victory over Wigan.[6] It was the Wigan-based amateur club Wigan St Patricks which gave Sean his first experience of competitive rugby league.[7][8] He had already gained international experience as part of the 2001 Great Britain Academy of Australia, a product of the Wigan academy, for whom he started playing in under-19s matches in 2001, and continued to do so in 2002.[8] During his time at the academy, O'Loughlin played in a variety of positions, including a game against Wakefield Trinity in the senior academy championships where he played at Centre scoring two tries,[9] and another against Hull Kingston Rovers where he scored a try playing at Second-row.[10]

In 2002, he also featured in two matches during the cross-code Middlesex Sevens tournament, playing at Scrum-half in a team composed of both Wigan and Orrell R.U.F.C. players.[11] Because of this, O'Loughlin remains one of only a handful of rugby league players ever to play at Twickenham, the home of English rugby union, along with those in the St. Helens, Bradford Bulls and Huddersfield teams who competed in the 2001 and 2006 Challenge Cup finals. He is the Uncle of current England rugby union captain Owen Farrell, and the Brother-in-Law of current rugby union coach Andy Farrell.

2000s
O'Loughlin playing for Wigan in 2007

O'Loughlin made his breakthrough into the Wigan first team under head coach Stuart Raper during 2002's Super League VII. His first experience in the first team came as a substitute wearing jersey No. 22 during Wigan's 18–20 home defeat by Hull F.C.[12] Two weeks later, O'Loughlin scored his first tries for the club as a substitute against Warrington, and subsequently made six consecutive appearances from the bench. He made his first starting appearance for Wigan during a 16–41 away victory against Warrington, when he was called upon to replace his injured brother-in-law, Andy Farrell.

On that night, O'Loughlin played at Loose forward,[13] which eventually became his usual position, but during his first season he played in no less than three positions. After returning from the Middlesex Sevens event where he played Scrum-half, he made another starting appearance against Warrington, this time at Stand-off.[14] He also started, and scored a try, at Centre against Leeds.[15] O'Loughlin's first season mostly saw him come into the match as an interchange, starting in only five of the twenty-one appearances he made throughout the league season.[16] Also in 2002 he was named as captain of the England A squad that faced New Zealand in November and later toured Fiji and Tonga. He made 3 appearances on the tour and was sent off and sin-binned in the same match against Fiji. He was named captain of the 2003 England A squad to face Australia and in the European Nations Cup. He also gained his first senior representative honour when he represented Lancashire in the 2003 Origin match.

O'Loughlin played for the Wigan Warriors at stand-off half back in the 2003 Super League Grand Final which was lost to Bradford Bulls. O'Loughlin played loose forward for most of 2004 with Andy Farrell moving to prop as cover for injuries. During the season he earned a new contract and a call up to the Great Britain squad for the first time for the 2004 Tri-Nations series. He made his début off the bench against Australia, and his first starting appearance in the following match against New Zealand.

After making an impressive start to the 2005 season, he suffered a serious knee injury in the Good Friday derby against St Helens, ruling him out for the rest of the season.[17] He returned to the first team in 2006 and was announced as captain by coach Ian Millward.[18] The poor start to the season left Wigan bottom of the Super League and led to the sacking of Ian Millward who was replaced by Brian Noble.

O'Loughlin showed a dramatic improvement under Noble. His performance in 2006 earned him a recall into the Great Britain squad for the mid season international with New Zealand at Knowsley Road, St. Helens which Great Britain won. Also at the end of season he was selected in the squad for the 2006 Tri-Nations in Australia, playing in Great Britain's opening defeat by New Zealand but playing an important role in Great Britain's victory over Australia. He missed Great Britain's 34–4 defeat by New Zealand with a muscle strain.

With O'Loughlin's contract expiring at the end of 2006 he was linked with a move to new Australian NRL side Gold Coast Titans for most of the season but in November 2006 he signed a new two deal with Wigan keeping him at the club until 2008. O'Loughlin was forced to rule himself out of contention for the England training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup through injury.[19] Likewise he was forced to withdraw from the 2009 Four Nations England squad before the start of the series.

2010s
O'Loughlin playing for Wigan in 2011

The 2010 season saw O'Loughlin noted for his hard work rate, topping most if not all stats. He has been the player of the month twice in 2010 and been in the Super League dream team a record 7 times in total (up to 2018). He was selected to play for England against France in the one-off test.[20]

He played in the 2010 Super League Grand Final victory over St. Helens at Old Trafford.[21]

O'Loughlin captained Wigan in the 2011 Challenge Cup Final victory over Leeds Rhinos at Wembley Stadium, playing at loose forward, helping defeat Leeds 28–18.[22]

He made his 300th appearance for Wigan in the opening game of the 2013 season against Salford. O'Loughlin led Wigan to the double, with a 16–0 Challenge Cup Final win over Hull F.C. at Wembley Stadium,[23][24][25] and the 2013 Super League Grand Final 30–16 comeback victory over Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford.[26]

O'Loughlin playing for England in 2013

He played in the 2014 Super League Grand Final defeat by St. Helens at Old Trafford.[27][28][29]

He played in the 2015 Super League Grand Final defeat by Leeds Rhinos[30] and the 2016 Super League Grand Final victory over the Warrington Wolves, both at Old Trafford.[31]

In 2016, O'Loughlin was sent off for the first time in his career for a high tackle on Wakefield's Chris Annakin. He was subsequently given a one-match ban by the disciplinary tribunal.[32]

He played in the 2017 Challenge Cup Final defeat by Hull F.C. at Wembley Stadium.[33]

He played in the 2018 Super League Grand Final victory over Warrington at Old Trafford.[34]

In November 2019, O'Loughlin signed a new one-year contract with the club, and announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2020 season.[35]

On 13 November 2020, O'Loughlin confirmed that he would be retiring at the end of the 2020 Super League season, bringing his 19-year career to an end.[36][37]

His final game before retirement was the 2020 Super League Grand Final which Wigan lost 8-4 against St Helens.[38]

International career

O'Loughlin played for England in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. The following year, following the international retirement of Kevin Sinfield, he was named as England captain ahead of the Four Nations tournament.[39]

In 2015 he was named the captain of England's squad for the end-of-year test series against New Zealand. Beforehand there was a test match where England took on France. Sean O'Loughlin was the captain of the team that went on to demolish Les Tricolores.[40] O'Loughlin scored tries in the first match of the New Zealand test-match series in Hull and the decisive third match in Wigan. He was an influential captain throughout the series, leading his side to England's first series victory in 8 years. His influential performance also resulted him in winning the George Smith Medal as player of the series.[41]

In October 2017 he was selected in the England squad for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[42]

Career statistics

[43]

SeasonTeamAppsTriesGoalsDGPoints
2002Wigan Warriors2140016
20033370028
200436100040
200570022
200629100040
20073471030
20081721010
20092950020
20103190036
20113591038
20122790036
2013211004
20142380032
2015202008
2016190000
20172630012
2018191004
2019231004
Total4508832360

Honours

References
  1. "Sean O'Loughlin Wigan Warriors". superleague.co.uk. 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "Profile at loverugbyleague.com". loverugbyleague.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. Hadfield, Dave (3 January 2003). "O'Loughlin heir apparent to renowned dynasty". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  7. "Airbrushing BARLA out of the picture – why?". British Amateur Rugby League Association. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  8. "Sean O'Loughlin". wiganwarriorsfans.com. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  9. "Wakefield 0, Wigan 56". wiganwarriorsfans.com. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  10. "Wigan 94, Hull Kingston Rovers 6". wiganwarriorsfans.com. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  11. "2002 Wigan Middlesex Sevens". wiganwarriorsfans.com. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  12. "Battling Hull end Wigan jinx". BBC Sport. 5 April 2002. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  13. "Super League VII 2002 – Round 16". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  14. "Super League VII 2002 – Round 24". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  15. Richards, Martin (21 September 2002). "Wigan wilt as McGuire leads Rhinos charge". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  16. "Sean O'Loughlin – Matches played in for the Wigan Warriors". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  17. Wilson, Andy (30 March 2005). "Wigan lose fourth forward as O'Loughlin is ruled out for season". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  18. "O'Loughlin to Captain Wigan". Wigan Warriors. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  19. "Deacon pulls out of England squad". BBC. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
  20. Hadfield, Dave (13 June 2010). "Widdop passes his first Test at a canter". The Independent. London, England. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  21. Hadfield, Dave (4 October 2010). "Maguire proves the guiding light as revitalised Wigan roll back the years". The Independent. UK: independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  22. Scott, Ged (27 August 2011). "Leeds 18-28 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  23. "Hull FC 0-16 Wigan Warriors". BBC Sport. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  24. "Wigan Warriors overcome Hull FC and elements to win Challenge Cup". Guardian. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  25. "Wigan Warriors grind out victory over Hull". Sky Sports. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  26. Newsum, Matt (5 October 2013). "Super League Grand Final: Wigan Warriors beat Warrington". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  27. "St Helens 14 Wigan Warriors 6: Moment of madness from Wales international Ben Flower costs Wigan dear". Daily Telegraph. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  28. "St Helens win Grand Final after Wigan's Ben Flower is sent off". Guardian. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  29. "St Helens 14–6 Wigan Warriors". BBC Sport. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  30. "Leeds pip Wigan to seal treble after brilliant, breathless Grand Final". Guardian. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  31. "Warrington 6-12 Wigan: Super League Grand Final – as it happened!". Guardian. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  32. "O'Loughlin Banned". Wigan Warriors. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  33. "Hull FC 18-14 Wigan recap as the Black and Whites claim back-to-back Challenge Cup triumphs". Mirror. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  34. "Super League Grand Final 2018: Wigan 12-4 Warrington – as it happened". Guardian. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  35. "Wigan Warriors skipper Sean O'Loughlin signs for final season". Sky Sports. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  36. "Sean O'Loughlin: Wigan Warriors legend to retire after 10 trophies in 19 years". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  37. "O'Loughlin to call time on 19-year career". Wigan Warriors Official Website. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  38. "Super League Grand Final: Wigan 4-8 St Helens". www.bbc.co.uk.
  39. "Four Nations: Sean O'Loughlin named England captain". BBC Sport. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  40. "England demolish France 84–4 in record win". Skysports.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  41. "England claim series victory". sportinglife.aol.co.uk. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  42. "England rugby league World Cup squad revealed - and James Roby is back in the fold". Mirror. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  43. "Sean O'Loughlin". Wigan Warriors. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
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