William James Wood "Buller" Stadden (1861 –30 December 1906) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

half back who played club rugby for

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

. Stadden won eight caps for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

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 on Christmas Day 1906.

Rugby career

Stadden made his debut for

against Ireland in 1884 under the captaincy of Joe Simpson in the Home Nations Championship. Stadden scored a

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 kick ...

on his debut and along with tries from

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 Events January * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British rule in Burma, British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5–January 9, 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson ...

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 St ...

, left Cardiff for Dewsbury in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, 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, led by

Frank Hancock Francis Escott 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 three-q ...

, Cardiff developed the 'four three-quarter system', winning all but one of their 27 games and scoring 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 1888 Events January * January 3 – The great telescope (with an objective lens of diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used. * January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, M ...

with Cardiff team-mate

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 18 ...

; 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 football player and manager. Playing career Forfar and Aberdeen Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic, joining the club in 1924. He moved to Aberdee ...

, 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 (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

, 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.

International games played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 471. * 1886, 1890 * 1884, 1887 * 1888 * 1886, 1888, 1890

Change of code

When Dewsbury converted from the rugby union code to the

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

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

In later life he ran a grocery business in Dewsbury. On Christmas night 1906 Stadden strangled his wife in their bed, with five children and a lodger asleep on the premises, before attempting suicide by cutting his throat. He died three days later while in police custody and was buried in an unmarked grave in Dewsbury Cemetery.

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

External links

Search for "Stadden" at rugbyleagueproject.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stadden, William 1861 births 1906 suicides 1906 deaths 19th-century English sportsmen 20th-century English sportsmen Canton RFC players Cardiff RFC players Dewsbury Rams players English murderers English rugby league players English rugby union players Murder–suicides in the United Kingdom Rugby league players from Bristol Rugby union halfbacks Rugby union players from Clifton, Bristol Suicides by sharp instrument in England Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players Yorkshire County RFU players