For 140 years, Welsh rugby players have travelled to the north of England to find fame and fortune. At first they went to play for the powerhouse clubs of northern rugby union, and when those clubs created rugby league, Welsh players became an integral part of the 13-a-side game. This week's 'Rugby Reloaded' investigates the players who 'went North' from the 1880s to the 1930s, looking at their stories and motivations.
For more on the history Welsh players in rugby league, look no further than Robert Gate’s two volume ‘Gone North’ first published in 1986. For an examination of the racial discrimination that would force black Welsh players to rugby league, watch the BBC documentary ‘The Rugby Codebreakers’ and listen to an interview with presenter Carolyn Hitt here on Rugby Reloaded episode 136.
William ‘Buller’ Stadden (Cardiff, Dewsbury & Wales)