Rowing: Coxed four spurred on by NZ fans

Rowing New Zealand has enjoyed a record haul of medals at the world rowing championships at Eton.

While not as successful as last year in terms of gold medals, when four were won, the team has won six medals including a gold, two silver and three bronze.

The men's coxed four of Dane Boswell, Paul Gerritsen, Steve Cottle, James Dallinger and cox Dan Quigley won a bronze medal on the final day of competition.

Dallinger says he was spurred on by the "kiwi" chant over the final 250 metres and could not really hear the stroke's call as the noise was deafening.

For Cottle, it was a pleasant turnaround after an empty world championships last year.

He says they have been working hard over the last 12 months after struggling, so it is awesome to finish on the podium.

Boswell says the race went well early and it was just a matter of holding on.

The coxed four is a non-Olympic event being used by New Zealand to develop depth in its ranks.

Meanwhile the women's eight has also had a boost to finish its campaign with a "B" final win, a significant improvement considering they finished dead last at their first World Cup in Poznan in June.

Stroke Erin Tolhurst says they have Mrs Tonks to thank for some "R and R" after her crew won its "B" final.

Tolhurst says they got out to an early lead before the other crews came back hard but it is great to have held them off and won.

She says coach Dick Tonks has given the crews the next four weeks off, telling the team his wife has four weeks of jobs for him to do.

The United States won the women's eights while Germany won the men's eights.

- NEWSTALK ZB