Allan Hosie: Tributes paid to Scottish Rugby pioneer who has passed away

The first ever recipient of a Scotland referee cap in 2025, he was the youngest ever appointment to the International Referees panel when he was just 27-years old. The former schoolboy hooker at Hillhead High School began a senior playing career with Hillhead HSFP’s but a back injury aged just 19 forced him into an early retirement.

However, that merely served as the catalyst for what would become an incredible life in the game as both a referee and administrator. He would take charge of 21 full international test matches between 1973 and 1984 and was elected as a committee member of the Five Nations Championship from 1992.

He would then become chairman of the Five Nations in 1997 and the first ever chairman of the Six Nations, remaining in that role until 2002. He then served as the 115th president of the Scottish Rugby Union for one year from 2002 to 2003.

Hosie was also a former Scottish Representative on the Board of the British and Irish Lions and manager of the Scotland men’s national team during their successful tour to the South Pacific in 1993. In 2025, the SRU awarded him the first ever Scottish Rugby Referee’s Cap.

At the time, the former referee said: “I’m delighted to have this honour, I’m delighted that Scottish Rugby have seen fit to introduce caps for international referees and I deem it a great honour to be the first one to have it.”

His first match as an international referee came as Ireland hosted England in Dublin in 1973. Hosie went on to officiate other Tests over the next 11 years, including two Bledisloe Cup fixtures between New Zealand and Australia and was been a member of the West of Scotland Rugby Referees’ Society for over 60 years.

The Scottish Rugby Union released their own obituary to Hosie, confirming that the Saltire would be flying over Murrayfield at half mast as a sign of respect. Scottish Rugby’s High Performance Match Official Manager Andrew Macpherson and fellow past SRU president Andy Irvine both shared their memories of Hosie.

“He had an outstanding rapport with us as players,” said Irvine. “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.”

Macpherson added: “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.”