Obituary: Allan Hosie

Allan Mitchell Hosie, born in Glasgow in 1945, was one of rugby’s greatest characters. As a referee, he possessed that endearing and rare blend of firmness and humour, whether under the intense spotlight of an international match or, closer to home, taking the whistle at his beloved Ayr Rugby Club minis.

A schoolboy hooker for Hillhead High School, his career in senior rugby for Hillhead HSFP’s was curtailed early at the age of 19, as the consequence of a back injury. But that premature conclusion merely served as a catalyst in his meteoric rise as a rugby referee, taking charge of his first Tier 1 international when only 27.

His dedication and devotion to the game manifested itself more than simply on the field where he was a distinguished international referee controlling 22 Tier 1 matches (including two Test matches between New Zealand and Australia) between 1973 and 1984.

Off the field, he was a fair, bold and meticulous administrator, rising to the role of Scottish Rugby Union President in 2002-03, having chaired both the Five and Six Nations Committees and played a pivotal role in Italy’s admission to the Six Nations Championship in 2000.

He also served as Scotland’s representative on the British & Irish Lions and was one of Scottish Rugby’s representatives on the game’s global governing body – then the International Rugby Board – including in 1995 when the game became professional.

Allan was wonderful company. As the manager of Scotland’s tour to the South Pacific in 1993, he was the ultimate ambassador, equally at home with the King of Tonga or the pupils of the Robert Louis Stevenson school in Apia.

The Scotland players on that tour – including such luminaries as current Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, the late Doddie Weir, captain Andy Nicol and his fellow scrum-half and subsequent Scotland captain, Bryan Redpath – adored him.

In recent years, Allan had to endure many health challenges, including the amputation of both legs.

Buoyed by the love of his wife Fiona, family and friends, mercifully he remained as sharp of mind and good humoured, as befitting the tales from his refereeing pomp.

Preparing to take charge of an Ireland v England match – his international debut in 1973 – Hosie recalled: “My good friend, Willie Duggan (Ireland’s No 8) was coming out at the back of the Irish line-up.

“He had a Woodbine (cigarette) in his hand. He was a terrible man for the Woodbine. I was behind him. He took one last inhale, before, in full view of the TV cameras, he gave me the fag.

“I’m not sure what I did with it, but Willie said to me: ‘After that fag, if you keep up with me today, you’ll be doing well’!”

Ireland and England featured a lot in Allan’s repertoire. On another occasion, clubmates at Hillhead sent a telegram to Dudley Wood, the then secretary of the RFU, purporting to come from William Hill the bookmakers saying: “Received the £50 bet on Ireland from A M Hosie”, just as Allan was about to take control of a Twickenham Test match between the two nations.

Andy Irvine, a fellow SRU Past President, praised Hosie’s relationship with players.  “He had an outstanding rapport with us as players. He had a great sense of humour and would quite often take the mickey out of us players and in those days, we couldn’t say anything naughty in response!

“He really knew his refereeing, and we shared many happy times together.

“Above all, Allan was a fantastic referee and administrator when he retired. He had a brilliant sense of humour and was just a really great guy, and the players all loved him. It’s a great loss to Scottish rugby.”

Andrew Macpherson, Scottish Rugby’s High Performance Match Official Manager, said: “I played with Allan’s son Malcolm at Ayr in the minis and Allan would always be happy to do a wee bit refereeing.

“Everybody knew who he was and occasionally there would be some good-natured comments from the crowd.

“Allan never took himself too seriously, but he did remind one spectator that not only did he know the laws, he actually wrote them!

“His connection to the Ayr club certainly encouraged me to take up refereeing and I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside his other son, Andrew at the WXV3 tournament in Dubai a few years ago. Allan will be very much missed.”

Allan first became a member of the West of Scotland Rugby Referees’ Society in 1965 and served as its president from 1974-76.

He was a member of Glasgow & District Rugby Union Committee from 1986-1995, chairing it from 1992-95.

He served on the SRU General Committee from 1989-2001, prior to his period as President.

In 2025, Scottish Rugby had the great honour of presenting Allan Hosie with a retrospective referee cap. It was entirely fitting that he became the first recipient and was quietly proud but also rather tickled that the video caption on Scottish Rugby’s website read “Allan Hosie – number one.”

Scottish Rugby extends its sincere condolences to Allan’s widow, Fiona, his sons, Malcolm and Andrew and all family and many friends.

A private cremation will be held, and we will advise dates of a memorial service in due course.

The Saltire at Scottish Gas Murrayfield is flying at half-mast as a symbol of our respect to Allan Hosie.

Pictured: Allan Hosie (centre) becomes the first recipient of the referees’ cap during a presentation by former player and president Andy Irvine (L) and SRU president Keith Wallace (R), on 24 January 2025. Allan’s wife, Fiona, is also pictured.