Visitors share notes on how to beat locals
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikatotimes/4682530a6414.html
The visiting crews for this year's Great Race are determined to end the dominance of Waikato University and they're joining forces to do so.
Sydney University coach Phil Bourguignon said since arriving in Hamilton last weekend his women's team had formed an alliance with the Cambridge University men's crew designed to expertly prepare for tomorrow's taxing row up the Waikato River.
"We've been working closely with the Cambridge crew and sharing their knowledge," Bourguignon said.
The two crews are aiming to negate as much as possible the "local" knowledge of the Waikato coxswains in navigating the river and have been comparing observations after training rows on the river this week.
"Having the home advantage, and knowing how to row that river is big," Bourguignon said.
"It's an extremely strategic race," he said. "The strongest crew may not always win.
"We've done some testing at the starting blocks and finishing station and we're confident we know the better options.
"When we got here the river was pretty flooded and we thought it was going to be pretty crazy.
"But it's settled down and when we went out on Thursday morning we really enjoyed it for the first time."
Bourguignon said his crew was down on strength but was a potentially powerful line-up.
"We're without two Olympians, Liz Kell and Brooke Pratley," he said.
"They were part of the Australian women's eight in Beijing and things didn't go as well as they hoped there and they've taken some time off."
The Sydney crew is a young one "but a good mix" with three national representatives and a strong engine room.
"At the stroke we've got Ashleigh Peppernell, who was a junior world champion in the women's four; at seven there's Renee Kirby, who is a national team member and a world championship medallist, as is Charlotte Walters at six," Bourguignon said.
The visiting coach is wary of the strength of their rivals. "I know a couple of names and they look a well-balanced crew."
"In the eights it's the weaker two (rowers) that make the difference," Bourguignon said.
"Every crew has its superstars but it's that overall strength that counts."
The superstar of the Waikato crew is Emma Twigg, who just missed a place in the women's single sculls final at Beijing and has junior and under-23 world titles on her resume.
Twigg joined up with the crew on Wednesday and will aim to counter the visitors' engine room as she is joined in the powerhouse seats by New Zealand international Rebecca Scown.
Waikato University coach Steve Wills acknowledged the tactics of navigating the river were important but said they may have been negated by the high river level that has subsided during the week.
"We've been zooming around this week on the river trying to find places to go. But it's dropped a few metres so we're probably best just to save our energy."
Sydney University: Ashleigh Peppernell, Renee Kirby, Charlotte Walters, Sarah Phillips, Lauren Sedgman, Lucy Marshall, Kylie Duff, Sophie Coolican, Ali Williams (coxswain)
Waikato University: Rebecca Scown, Emma Twigg, Odette Sceats, Fiona Patterson, Kate Reymer, Trudy Stuart, Gabby Rogers, Sarah Alexander, Laura Breitenstein (coxswain).