The Boys U18 Eight promises to be one of the most spectacular events of the regatta, as it remains the foremost event for any sweep club to win. The Christmas Regatta brings in extra excitement, as there are always potential entries from Australia. Previous iterations of the Christmas Regatta have seen entries from the Shore School, St Ignatius College, and Melbourne College, all in Australia. Last season’s Christmas Regatta brought a real antipodean battle, with the field split fairly evenly across U18 Eights from New Zealand and Australia. North Island squads looking to post a marker will be eyeing the event, as the Christmas Regatta is the first regatta where many schools will put out their ranked Eights for the first time. Eyes will turn to King’s College, Hamilton Boys, and Auckland Grammar as the schools that set the tone last year in the U17 Eight.
King’s College
One of the favourites for the U18 Eight this season is the First Eight out of King’s College, who possess an immense arsenal of firepower. If a recently posted social media video was anything to go by, and King’s enter their top crew this regatta, which is not guaranteed, the Eight have rejigged things to allow the entry of U16s Sandlant and Yeoman, the latter of whom holds New Zealand age group records, as well as strokeman Jake Peacocke. King’s College has one of the largest and strongest boys squads within the country this season, and it appears that the program spearheaded by Mark Clemo has only stepped up since his appointment in the 23/24 season. Multiple entries in the U18 Eight at Karapiro Club Regatta saw King’s finish second, fourth, and fifth in the A-final, while rowing in mixed combinations, which is undoubtedly a promising set of results given the conditions. The first crew entered for the Christmas Regatta appears to be similar to the crew that raced in the U17 Eight in the previous season, with three changes. The program will no doubt be looking to enter a worthy Second Eight as well; with the squad depth that coaches have worked hard to maintain and expand on, the Second Eight looks like a worthy competitor for a top five finish, and if results from the Club Regatta are anything to go by, there may even be potential for two King’s Eights on the podium. As one of the favourites to win the Maadi Cup this season, the First Eight out of King’s College will be one of the most watched crews of the regatta and my favourites to win the event.
Hamilton Boys High School
Hamilton Boys finished third in the U18 Eight at the Club Regatta, racing what looked like a potential Second Eight combination. With the entry in the Open Eight looking more likely to be their First Eight, Hamilton Boys finished fourth in the Open category, four seconds ahead of the two mixed combinations from King’s College. Out of all schools entered in the Open Eight, Hamilton Boys were the fastest, with a four-second margin over both Westlake and King’s. The Alex Kennedy-coached crew threatens to be a real contender for the U18 Eight title. With three U17 rowers racing in the First Eight, there is likely room for more trials later in the season to improve the Eight, as Hamilton Boys has traditionally been the most dominant school in recent seasons of U18 Eights racing. Entry into the U18 Eight at the Club Regatta was impressive as well, with Hamilton Boys taking third place in a highly competitive field, behind the listed ‘second’ eights of Auckland Grammar and King’s College. If there is one school you never write off for the U18 Eight, it would be Hamilton Boys. The school has shown time and time again their ruthless nature in putting together a fast eight and peaking late into the season in time for the major championship regattas. While early-season results have been mixed thus far, I have confidence that the Eight from Hamilton Boys should be a strong challenger to King’s, with the First Eight likely to put out a podium-worthy finish. It remains to be seen whether international crews are entered, as U18 crews from New Zealand have at times struggled with the pace of the First Eights from Australia.
Auckland Grammar
Another traditional powerhouse in boys’ sweep rowing is Auckland Grammar, which has won the Maadi Cup twice and come agonisingly close on many occasions. While the seventh-place finish in the U17 Eight at the 2025 Maadi Cup was slightly underwhelming, the squad looks to have stepped up in the off-season, putting together two mixed eights to compete at the Club Regatta. Winners of the U18 Eight at the Club regatta, the young Auckland Grammar crew won with a margin of under half a second between themselves and third place. A growing squad of rowers within the school has enabled the school to field two competitive eights, with one at the front and one at the back of the A-final. The First Eight put out a disappointing performance at the 2025 Maadi Regatta by the standards of Auckland Grammar, and the crew looks almost entirely fresh this season, with many U18 rowers leaving. A younger, more inexperienced Eight may be a concern on paper, but as the results at the Club Regatta showed, there is undoubtedly a lot of potential in the First Eight this season. I would expect the Auckland Grammar First Eight to be solidly making the A-final, and with Australian crews, they would likely be hovering somewhere around the top five. While the club struggled to keep pace with King’s and Hamilton Boys in the past season, the 25/26 season marks a fresh start for the club, and I would expect a return to the A-final and a push to be competitive for the podium in the U18 category this season.
Predictions
Assuming they enter their top eight this regatta – which is not a guarantee – I would expect King’s College to take the win in the U18 Eight – the crew is stacked with triple gold medallists Sandlant and Yeoman, as well as North Island representatives Macleod and Haskell. Peacocke’s appointment as stroke is a testament to his early-season success in the small boats and the four, and the Eight is definitely in good hands with Mark Clemo. Hamilton Boys won’t be far behind, though, and I think there will be a real jostle between King’s and Hamilton Boys, with both schools not revealing their hand until potentially now. Australian crews may potentially be dotted among the top 5 positions, and I think they will ultimately push Auckland Grammar off the podium positions and into fifth or below.
