FORMER international referee and Vickers rugby union wing forward Colin High has died. He was 74.

The retired shipyard draftsman made a exceptional contribution at all levels of the game during a career which spanned almost 60 years.

During his time in the game Colin became the RFU’s first National Referee Manager in 1997 and helped to create and managed the Union’s Elite Referee Unit from 2001 until he retired in 2008.

Colin began refereeing with the Cumbria Referees Society and their Manchester equivalents, progressing to the RFU and the then world governing body, the IRB.

He took charge of six Test matches from 1988-1991, including France v Wales and Wales v USA in 1987 and New Zealand v Scotland in the First Test in Dunedin in 1990. 

An IRB assessor from 1996 to 2006, he was also RFU Council member for Cumbria from 1996-97.

Colin was born in Kendal but spent most of his life in Barrow and was a regular columnist for the North West Evening Mail, keeping readers informed of events surrounding clubs in South Cumbria.

On retiring from the RFU, he joined Scottish Rugby on a part-time basis as a high performance referee coach, working with their leading referees and was presented with the Referee Award for Distinguished Service by World Rugby’s forerunner, the IRB, in 2010. 

The award recognised his contribution to the game over six decades described as “nothing short of exceptional.”

The announcement of his death was made by England Rugby with Tony Spreadbury, the RFU’s Head of Professional  Game Match Officials, saying: “Colin was a real inspiration. The game having gone professional for players, he was fundamental in pioneering professional refereeing in England, having helped to develop many young officials.

"His passion for the game and for refereeing and his undoubted expertise will have left a tremendous legacy.

“Having been appointed by Colin as one of the RFU’s first professional referees, I know that he will be missed by the game and his many friends within it. Most of all he will be missed by his wife Cora, son Stephen and daughter Julia and his close family. They are very much in our thoughts at this time.”

Phil Winstanley the Rugby Director at Premiership Rugby said: "Colin High was the forerunner of today's elite referee unit. In his own inimitable way he developed the concept of professional referees before passing the mantle to first Ed Morrison and more recently, Tony Spreadbury.

"Colin's views were always forthright and insightful and there is no doubt that he pioneered the landscape for today's professional referees. His honesty and friendship will be missed by many, many people within the game."