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by Sharm de Alwis

Ago Paiva was the quintessential fly-half. He belongs to the quintet of the finest who played in that position for club and country from the time that rugby was introduced to Sri Lanka way back in 1879. The other four who moved into the Hall of Fame are Archibald Perera, Nimal Maralanda, Mohan Sahayam and Glen Van Langenberg.

If ever there was a chink in his otherwise ecstatic play which rugged at the helms of the mythical, it was that he never liked the swinging pass. That is the only reason he didn't pair off more frequently with the lordly prince of scrum-halves, S. B. Pilapitiya. Mahes Rodrigo would deliver head-on.

Be that as it may, Ago played for the country in a period that had a glut of scintillating ex-patriate fly-haves like Nick Tait, Kent McPherson, David Currie, Brian Faithful, John Burros and our own Fred Aldons and the occasional fly-halves, Malcolm Wright, Stanley Unamboowe and Mervyn Panditharatne.

Ago cut his rugby teeth at St. Peter's under the tutelage of Herbert Vitachchi and the grand master, Archibald Perera. He captained SPC in his second year, in 1950 and represented CR&FC as a school boy, but as an inner-three quarter because his mentor was playing deftly in his accustomed position of fly-half.

Rugby was Ago's passion even though he dabbled a bit in hockey, athletics and cricket, under Darrel Weinman and Boddy Chouse in the last discipline.

Ago took over the mantle of fly-half from his guru and after a decade bequeathed it to Nimal Maralanda.

No fly-half has ever paired of with so many scrum-halves as Ago. Giving him adequate fodder from the base of the scrum were Mahes Rodrigo, S.B. Pilapitiya, Clarence Senanayake, Lionel Almeida, Tony Sirimanne, Tyrrel Muttiah, Pothuhera, Manik Pereira and Neville Leefe.

Ago would explode as he received the ball. He would jinx and touch down on his own, leaving opponents clutching air or he would feed his threes in equisite manner, having drawn a man or two. He would even employ the up and under or kick to touch, all depending on his uncanny reading of the game situation.

His adversaries, except 'Gal' Herbert Fernando whom he dreaded, went for substance and held only the shadow because Ago Paiva had supreme speed and could veer either way on a raking run.

Ago's baptismal by fire was delayed until he had entered man's estate. As a reserve for All-Ceylon, he was consigned to watch the elegant artistry of Fred Aldons. That team was so strong that even Ashy Cader and Mike Stewart were stand-bys. It was an era when the men would be separated from the boys.

Only once was he dropped to accommodate Nick Tait. Kavan and he would sometimes, surreptiously change positions even in the heat of the game just to flounder the opposition.

Ago played rugger against hulking Europeans who had had their skills honed at British International level and when he made his exit from active rugby, it was to give back to the game in any measure what he had received bountifully. He took over the lads from St. Joseph's and coached them for eleven years. Brian Obeysekera was his prized product.

And now with the grandeur in the distant mists, "the trumpets have sounded for him on the other side," and Ago Paiva, bless his soul, has made the final glorious touch down.

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