FORMER Great Britain World Cup winner Brian Lockwood has died aged 78.

A Lance Todd Trophy winner with Hull KR in 1980, when his perfect pass set up Steve Hubbard's crucial try, Lockwood was back at Wembley the year after helping Widnes win the Challenge Cup against the Robins.

A tough but skilful forward, Lockwood transitioned from the second row to prop playing most of his career in Yorkshire.

He had 10 years at Castleford, then Wakefield and Hull KR - with stints in Sydney at Canterbury Bankstown and Balmain in between.

He was an inspired signing for Widnes, joining from Oldham in the middle of the 1980-81 season - slotting into a Chemics side that had lost a lot of experienced players to Fulham in the off-season, plus the retirement of Jim Mills.

There was a clear transformation in the latter half of that campaign, ultimately leading to the Twin Towers and Mick Adams climbing the steps to lift the Challenge Cup.  His guile in the pack, alongside old heads like another key recruit in Eric Prescott, helped Widnes' march to Wembley that year.

And they were back again the following season, too, this time drawing with Hull FC and then losing the replay.

Lockwood had something of a swansong in the black and white of Widnes, before calling time in 1983, but had enjoyed a stellar career on both sides of the world prior to that.

Tony Sutton, the RFL Chief Executive, said: “Brian Lockwood had a remarkable career, with his lasting excellence underlined by the years between his first two Challenge Cup wins at Wembley with Castleford in 1969 and 1970, and his last two with Widnes in 1981 and Hull KR in 1980 – the latter in the famous all-Hull Final, when he won the Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match.

“He is the second member of Great Britain’s 1972 World Cup winning team we have lost this year, following his second-row partner Phil Lowe, another player who has a special place in the history of Hull KR.

“On behalf of the RFL, I send condolences to Brian’s family and many friends, from his years with Castleford, Hull KR, Widnes and a number of other clubs, and indeed throughout the sport.”