Rowers Ready to Race

It was an arctic morning in Putney that welcomed the two blue crews on the final day before the 159th Boat Race but the performances would have warmed the hearts of any Oxford fan.

Oxford 2 seat Geordie Macleod practicing race day timings with the BBC

That arctic morning was this morning and it saw the very last outings before the one that really matters with the dark blues holding the upper hand in a number of key areas.

We have long known that Oxford has the heavier crew and that it could call on the experience of two Olympic medal winners over Cambridge’s one.

However, today they demonstrated significantly superior bladework to that of the Cambridge crew. The timing was sharp and precise in a way that indicated relaxation, confidence and race readiness.

Veteran Oxford coach Sean Bowden will be hoping his gamble – putting the Great Britain stroke in the Oxford 7 seat – pays off

The crew has also clearly gelled superbly with the Olympic medal-winning stern pair – Malcolm Howard in stroke with a gold and silver to his name and Constantine Louloudis of Great Britain contributing a bronze – setting a strong rhythm for the rest of the boat.

The whole team without exception looked calm and settled even at stroke rates (the number of strokes per minute) that pushed up into the high-40s (which is a lot).

Oxford’s Olympians: Canadian Malcolm Howard and GB’s Constantine Louloudis

All round, the Oxford crew this morning looked better balanced, better coordinated and better organised. Fifteen minutes into the race, as fatigue really starts to take its toll, these small technical differences can have a huge impact on the speed of the boat.

Cambridge will be out to prove the bookmakers wrong

This is not to say the tabs have nothing going for them. They are the taller crew and they have the benefit of Boat Race experience and consistency in the front of the boat; the stroke, 7 and 6 seats are all being taken up by the same men as last year who will surely be on the warpath to prove that their victory had nothing to do with either a swimmer or a broken oar.

The light blues receive some last minute tips from coach Steve Trapmore

They can also call upon their own Olympic experience. Cambridge president and 5 seat George Nash won bronze in London whilst 2 seat Milan Bruncvik has raced in two Olympics for his native Czech Republic.

The race is far from a done deal and pretty rowing alone never won anybody a medal. However, on the basis of the training on show today it would be a brave decision to bet against Oxford.

Don’t forget to keep up to date on the big day with the Tab’s live text coverage.