Another Legend Has Been Taken

THE FINAL WHISTLE has sadly blown on one of Scottish Rugby's most iconic figures, with the death of Allan Hosie. Allan had been ill for some time, but, he bore his troubles lightly and in many ways, his passing is a blessing after a lengthy period of darkness.

 

 His father was a stalwart of Queen's Park FC, and this meant the young Allan had a close-up view of some of Scotland's biggest football matches, as a ball boy at Hampden. However, he went to Hillhead High School, a rugby-playing scholl, and thus he played the handling game, before, after injury curtailed his playing ambitions, he switched seamlessly to refereeing.

At school, he had hooked for the XV from 1961 to 1963, however, a bad back injury saw his playing career curtailed at the age of 19.

His work in the insurance industry meant that Allan was able to make himself available to referee midweek games more regularly than officials in other fields of life. This meant he rose through the ranks at a phenomenal level and at the tender age of 27, he refereed his first Test Match – going on to handle over 20 Test matches, at that time a record for a Scottish match official.

Allan loved the game and this was obvious in his control of matches, he refereed with a smile on his face and a quip for everyone. He liked to keep the game flowing, but, he was not averse to moments of humour.

There was his legendary inter-change with the late, great Gordon Brown, in a West of Scotland game which was threatening to get out of hand. “There are too-many would-be referees on this field,” said a frustrated Hosie at one point. “Aye, and you're no the best one,” was the reply, allegedly from Broon frae Troon.

In a past life, I was full-time touch judge for Ayr, back in the days when even top clubs had to supply a flag bearer on the lines. We frequently found oursleves being refereed by Allan, and it was always a joy to see him.

I remember one game at Millbrae, when Ayr winger Stewart Hay intercepted and broke away from his own 22. None of the opposition chased him, but, as touch judge, I had to follow him up the park, as did referee Hosie. Oblivious to the lack of genuine pursuers, Stewart kept the foot down, collapsing over the line for a try, then seeing the pursuers he had heard had been Hosie and I, he cast aspersions on our parentage – Allan led the laughter.

Another game I recall was an evening match at Burnbrae, West v Ayr and at one scrum near the West line, as West scrum half Tommy Motherwell went to feed the scrum, Allan discovered he could not get close to him, since that weel-kent Yorkshireman and Ayr fan Arnold Pickles was actually on the pitch and looking over Motherwell's shoulder.

Allan thanked Arnold for his assistance, but assured him he had control of the situation, as he escorted him back behind the ropes.

On another occasion, he had to endure a lot of ribbing from the Glasgow and District Referees Association, after he went down on his knees to assure himself a try had been scored in an international. Legend has it, at the Association's annual dinner, he was presented with a prayer mat, should he be required to make a similar decision in the future.

From refereeing, he graduated to the ranks of the Alickadoos, initially with the Glasgow District Union committee, before he was elevated to the ranks of the Murrayfield Mafia.

He served the Union with distinction, was President in  2001-2002 and Scotland Team Manager on the South Pacific tour of 1993; whilst also taking his talent and knowledge of the game to the positions of Chairman of the Five Nations, then the Six Nations committee – where he famously, at the lunch/peace talks in Glasgow's Drum and Monkey pub, he so-charmed Bill Beaumont, then President of the RFU, that England's attempts to virtually take over the tournament were averted.

He also made a serious impact on the global game as Chairman of the International Rugby Board's (as World Rugby was then known) Laws Committee. He was not, however, a fan of the introduction of the yellow and red cards, perhaps correctly forecasting that some referees would use the yellow card as a cop out for offences which perhaps demanded expulsion from the field.

He also, famously, advocated the introduction of “The ten-point penalty” for serious fould play on the park. As Allan saw it, this would have been a kick at goal, taken from a “penalty spot” in the middle of the 22-metre line. I have always held, that idea should have been taken up by the game.

Although always identified as a Hillhead man – Hughenden was his second home – he lived for many years in Ayr, where he was a member of a group of what I called: “The Millbrae Silverbacks”, offering criticism and comment from the back row of the Millbrae stand, and great company in the clubhouse, and at their lengthy lunches in Grant Steele's Chestnuts Hotel.

Indeed, on one of his last visits to a game at Millbrae, before illness kept him confined to home, he was able to watch a young lady named Hollie Davidson taking charge of the game and afterwards forecast great things for her.

He was followed into refereeing by son Andrew, who emigrated to Canada and became one of their top officials. Allan had hung up his whistle by the time the Rugby World Cup was instigated, but, Andrew made it to that level. He is survived by wife Fiona, Andrew and Malcolm and their families.

It was a priveledge to call Allan Hosie a friend. He was a truly-great referee, but, more than that, he was a true Rugby Man – Rest In Peace old friend.