William James Wood "Buller" Stadden (1861 –30 December 1906) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...
. Stadden won eight caps for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
over a period of seven years and is most remembered for scoring the winning try in 1890 to give Wales their first victory over England. He committed suicide in Dewsbury after murdering his wife.
Rugby career
Stadden made his début for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
drop goal
A drop goal, field goal, or dropped goal is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league and also, rarely, in American football and Canadian football.
A drop goal is scored by drop kicking the ball (dropping the ball and then kicki ...
William Norton
William Joseph Norton (2 November 1900 – 4 December 1963) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste from 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957, Leader of the Labour Party from 1932 to 1960, Minister for Social Welfare from ...
and
Tom Clapp
Tom Clapp (25 October 1858 – 15 October 1933) was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Nantyglo RFC. He won 14 caps for Wales and captained the team on three occasions. Clapp was the first ...
, gave Wales their first win on Welsh soil. Stadden was not selected for the next tournament, but regained his position in 1886 playing in both matches of the series against England and Scotland. Wales lost both games, but Stadden managed to score again, this time with a try, in the opening match over England.
In September 1886, Stadden, along with fellow Cardiff team-mate
Angus Stuart
Angus John Stuart (10 June 1858 – 8 October 1923) also known as Angus Stewart was a Scottish-born rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and Dewsbury. Although never capped at international level in his own country, in 1888 S ...
, left Cardiff for Dewsbury in
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, pleading that there were no employment prospects for him in Wales. Though it was later discovered that he was working for a textile company part-owned by the Dewsbury club's president.
Staddens' last season at Cardiff was the year when, under the captaincy of
Frank Hancock
Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock (7 February 1859 – 29 October 1943) was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth ...
, Cardiff perfected the quick passing 'four three-quarter system'. The team won 26 of their 27 games and scored 131 tries whilst conceding only four. He continued to play for Wales and for Yorkshire. He was the first Welsh player to be bought by an English club and he evolved into a star player in Yorkshire, which was the best team in England at the time.
Stadden's next two matches for Wales were against Ireland as part of the 1887 Championship, partnered with
John Goulstone Lewis
John Goulstone Lewis (25 December 1859 – 9 May 1935) Scrum.com was a
Jem Evans
Owen James 'Jem' Evans (1867 - 14 October 1942) was a Welsh rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Evans was one of the earliest half-backs to play for Wales and was awarded four caps between 188 ...
; both were Welsh wins. Towards the end of 1888, Wales hosted their first overseas tourists when the New Zealand Native team visited Britain. Under the captaincy of
Frank Hill
Frank Robert Hill (21 May 1906 – 28 August 1993) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager.
Playing career
Forfar and Aberdeen
Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic F.C., Forfar Athletic, jo ...
, Stadden partnered Charlie Thomas in a Welsh win over the Māori team. Stadden's last games for Wales both came in the
1890 Home Nations Championship
The 1890 Home Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 1 February and 15 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Table
Results
...
, the first was a loss to Scotland at the
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...
, the second was Wales' first ever win over England. Stadden was the Welsh hero of the match after scoring the only point of the game played in England at Dewsbury.History of Welsh Rugby Rugby Canada website Early in the second half, Stadden took a line out and motioned that he was going to throw the ball long. The Welsh and England lines both shuffled back expecting a long throw, for Stadden to bounce the ball into the ground close to his feet, regathering the ball he rushed past two defending players to score the winning try.Godwin (1984), pg 24. Bouncing the ball from the line out was banned under IRB rules in 1906.
When Dewsbury converted from the rugby union code to the
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
code on 3 September 1898, William Stadden would have been approximately 37 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Dewsbury.
Personal life
On Christmas night 1906 Stadden strangled his wife in their bed. Then, with five children and a lodger asleep on the premises, he attempted to slash his own throat before surrendering to the police. He died three days later. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Dewsbury Cemetery.