Rowing: Champs keen to test boat

World champion pair Hamish Bond, front and Eric Murray. Photo / Getty Images

Rowers Eric Murray and Hamish Bond could be forgiven for thinking Santa paid an unscheduled visit.

The world champion pair are in Slovenia this weekend for the opening World Cup of the year. They are also celebrating the arrival of their state-of-the-art Empacher boat from south-west Germany.

The manufacturer carried nine of the 14 gold medallists at the Beijing Olympics and 13 of the 22 gold medallists at last year's world championships.

Murray's thrilled to be in one of the hornet-like yellow and black trim shells but says they are expensive.

"They're the boats you want - handmade in Germany - but the price tag is up there. Our pair is worth €15,000 [$28,000], whereas in New Zealand, you can pick up similar for $15,000. They're the most expensive rowing boats in the world but have a proven pedigree.

"Getting a new boat like this means you don't need to worry about whether the gates for the oars are still sturdy. You also know the steering wire is intact with no kinks that could snap during a race. It's peace of mind.

"It is a similar boat to the one we had last year in set-up and design but those details make everything better."

Coach Dick Tonks coupled up a trailer in Belgium, picked up the boat in Germany and swung by the airport carpark to show it off when they touched down.

"We got to unwrap it and put it together," says Murray.

The pair, who were part of the world championship-winning four in 2007 but disappointed by missing the final in Beijing, are veterans among the New Zealand crews.

They form part of an advance party this weekend with the other Tonks-coached boats of single sculler Emma Twigg and the women's quadruple sculls.

The trip to Lake Bled also doubles as a reconnaissance mission, as next year's world championships will be held there. The remaining crews leave New Zealand on June 11.

Bond is low key on their defending champion status: "We are unbeaten in the pair so there is some pressure but it's hard to know how our opposition will go, having been away from the racing scene nine months."

Murray is less discreet: "The pair final is the best race of the weekend. A lot of countries have put top crews out for it such as Britain, the United States, Canada and France as part of early season experiments. We just need to forget about our defending champion tag."

The pair have come prepared to win. Murray says they have a flag filled with the faces of supporters from a fundraising foray called Faceboat.

Their training boat has the same faces on it but governing body FISA won't allow them to use that skiff in international races because of sponsorship restrictions.

"Hopefully we get to wave the flag about," Murray says. "It's a way for us to get people directly involved, feeling like they're part of our crew."

Bond is less exuberant. He still suffers sometimes from sore ribs irritated by the sweeping stroke of the oar. He has not changed his programme to correct the problem in the past few weeks.

"Occasionally I get phantom pain in the area but it is distinct and easy to recognise. Generally the ribs heal stronger and you never aggravate the same one."

Yesterday, the pair comfortably won their heat to progress to the semifinals, leading at every mark and cruising to victory in 6m 29.60s.

The top British crew of Peter Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge, beaten into second by Bond and Murray at the world championships in Poland last August, won their heat in 6m 26.48s.