William Stadden
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| Full name | William James Wood Stadden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname | Buller | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Dewsbury, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position(s) | Half-back | ||
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| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1882–1886 1886-? |
Cardiff RFC Dewsbury |
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| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1884–1890 | Wales | 8 | ((1)) |
William James Wood "Buller" Stadden (1861 –30 December 1906) was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Cardiff and Dewsbury. Stadden won eight caps for Wales 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 died in Dewsbury, in tragic circumstances.
Stadden made his debut for Wales against Ireland in 1884 under the captaincy of Joe Simpson in the Home Nations Championship. Stadden scored a drop goal on his debut and along with tries from William Norton and Tom Clapp, 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, left Cardiff for Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, 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, 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.
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