Rowing: NZ crews firing again, says Tonks

Dick Tonks

The confidence that carried New Zealand to four gold medals at last year's world rowing championships is seeping back at last, head coach Dick Tonks believes.

The eight-pronged New Zealand assault at this year's championships near London moves up another gear tomorrow night (NZT) when five crews contest semifinals.

Two others have already reached this weekend's finals -- the men's coxed four advanced there directly and the women's pair of Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles, who won their repechage convincingly last night.

The women's eight were to race their repechage tonight and Tonks hoped success for them would provide a catalyst for the rest of the black singlet brigade.

"If we can get the women's eight in the final then I think we can get just about everyone there," Tonks said.

It was too early for him to predict New Zealand's best medal prospects, particularly after all the foxing that takes place in the heats, or whether they can match the four-gold haul from Japan a year ago.

However, he was relieved to see some of the self doubt that had marred their buildup had disappeared now the championships were under way.

"We're back on track. We've had a pretty hard tour (World Cup regattas in Europe) of it and no one's been really happy with their form all the way through, but it's coming together now," he said.

"A lot of the crews weren't happy with where they were at for one reason or another but I think we're looking forward to the finals now."

The biggest improvers over the last month were the women's pair and the men's pair of Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater.

Both produced mixed results in the two World Cup meets and defending their titles at Eton had appeared a long way off.

Even Olympic champion double scull twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell had been unsettled and a mysterious bug that laid low half the team last week had only served to fray nerves further.

"We've got the sickness behind us, touch wood, and everyone's firing on all cylinders," Tonks said.

The veteran coach warned qualification was not guaranteed for any of the New Zealand crews involved in tomorrow's semifinals -- the men's pair, women's double sculls, men's single sculler Mahe Drysdale, men's lightweight single sculler Duncan Grant and the men's coxless four Eric Murray, Selwyn Cleland, Carl Meyer and Hamish Bond.

Wind at the Eton Dorney course had been flukey and Tonks had noticed crews in certain lanes appearing to catch some tailwind gusts early in races.

The men's coxed four of Dane Boswell, Paul Gerritsen, James Dallinger, Steven Cottle and cox Daniel Quigley were to time trial tonight (NZT) for their lane allocation in Sunday's final.

State of play for the eight New Zealand crews at the world rowing championships (* indicates defending champions):

WEDNESDAY REPECHAGE

Women's eight

Erin Tolhurst, Clementine Marshall, Paula Twining, Emma Twigg, Rebecca Scown, Nikki-Lee Crawford, Bess Halley, Darnelle Timbs and cox Candice Bardsley.

THURSDAY SEMIFINALS

* Men's single sculler

Mahe Drysdale.

* Men's pair

Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater.

* Women's double scullers

Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.

Men's lightweight single sculler

Duncan Grant.

Men's coxless four

Eric Murray, Selwyn Cleland, Carl Meyer and Hamish Bond.

SATURDAY FINAL

* Women's pair

Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles.

SUNDAY FINAL

Men's coxed four

Dane Boswell, Paul Gerritsen, James Dallinger, Steven Cottle and cox Daniel Quigley.

- NZPA