There are few events in Australia which represent the same kind of raw, unadulterated racing experience as the Riverview Gold Cup. There are no lane markers, boat holders, or fancy photo finish cameras to be seen, just 1400 metres of wash, tide, wind, and of course, the infamous dogleg with 400 metres to go.
The men’s eight – racing for the Gold Cup itself – employs a unique progression system whereby the A-final is determined by times. This year, with 16 entrants, only five crews will progress, making this one of the most competitive Gold Cups in recent memory.
Interestingly, this year marks one of the first occasions where the Gold Cup has fallen before the New South Wales Championships, meaning we have little form to go on.
This event is rarely without controversy. Collisions, course cutting, false starts, and rival coaching boats washing down the course have all decided the fate of contenders in previous years. In the past three runnings, Sydney and UTS have traded wins by narrow margins – the 2025 edition was decided by just 0.9 seconds. Could the sheer number of entries throw up a surprise in 2026?
Sydney Rowing Club
The reigning champions and the most successful club in the state in recent years, a fresh combination for Sydney in 2026 will be eager to live up to the club’s reputation. Aitken, Bevan, Harrold, and Hoskin return to the crew with coxswain Tess Harris. The experience of winning this event is special and should not be discounted when assessing their form. Will Clubb is new to SRC, joining from UTS, where he ran second in this event last year. Charlie Hine and George Bell are also notable additions, bringing a wealth of Henley Royal Regatta experience – crucial in the rough waters of Lane Cove. Sydney have also entered another three crews this year, highlighting their depth.
Assessing current form, though, highlights some cause for concern. Small Boats regatta a fortnight ago wasn’t a great showing from the sky blue, not one member of this crew walked away with a win in a pair or single. Sydney has reportedly been in a fairly intense training block, and it’s unlikely they’ll be at full speed for this weekend, given the importance of next weekend’s state championship. Could the reigning holders of the Gold Cup be under threat?
Sydney University Boat Club
The local club that made this event its own in the late 2010s will be well and truly out in force this weekend. Last year, Sydney University was only just able to scrape together eight men to contest this event, and didn’t feature in the final. This year, they’ll have four crews on the water, a credit to the work of Simon Huxley over the past 12 months. Their top crew features athletes with a wealth of success at the domestic and international levels, including U23 representatives Adam Holland, Will Rogers, and Hamish Danks, U19 representative Gus Ciesiolka, and Olympic reserve Jackson Kench. Importantly, Will Raven is on the strings. One of the most successful coxswains in this event, Ravo has won three times in the eight and once in a four. Despite this combination’s youth, expect Sydney University to make its mark on the field.
UTS Haberfield
Last year’s race was tight, emotions were high, and UTS would have been gutted not to come away with a win considering their form leading into the regatta. This year’s combination is undoubtedly faster, with a few important additions and many incumbents making significant progress in 2026. Sam Green, Mackenzie Thompson, Henry Blackwell, Oscar Beregi, and Josh Wilson were all standouts in their small boats a fortnight ago. As was Winston Hooper, who usually wears Melbourne University colours but is eligible to compete here as UTS. Paddy Holt and Torben Ungemach complete the crew, the two teal stalwarts adding even further firepower. Anna O’Hanlon will steer the club’s fresh Empacher (the Tim McLaren OAM). The only Australian to ever steer an Oxford boat race crew, O’Hanlon will be at home amongst the wash and chop of Lane Cove.
UTS has had solid momentum in the early stages of 2026. I’m yet to form an opinion on whether they’ll carry that through to nationals, but they certainly look formidable this weekend.
St Ignatius College
Off the back of one of the most dominant seasons of schoolboy rowing we’ve ever seen in New South Wales, the hosting crew haven’t quite had it all their own way this year. Riverview has been trading wins with Shore all season, with the boys from North Sydney marginally holding the upper hand at this stage. However, we saw last weekend that St. Ignatius has good early-race speed. Coupled with their intimate knowledge of the course, expect these boys to knock off a couple of club crews in the early rounds.
Shore
After six seasons without a Head of the River win, this year’s Shore combination is certainly the most impressive since 2019. Hunting down St Ignatius last weekend was a statement performance, positioning them as the crew to beat this season, even if the margins were only slender. If this crew can stay in touch in the first 500 metres of the Lane Cove course, expect them to upset some more experienced combinations on their way to the final.
Prediction
I said it last year, and I’ll say it again: this is one of the hardest races of the year to predict. Many programs attend only begrudgingly, lamenting the wash, lane draw, tides, and, of course, the onus on the coxswain. In my opinion, this is one of the purest forms of racing we have. Similar to Henley Royal Regatta, it’s a battle, all-out war. Only the crew that puts together the best performance on the day will emerge on top, and that’s something you just can’t learn at SIRC.
To cut to the chase, the boys in teal have been in fine form this season, and UTS will reclaim the Gold Cup this year. Sydney will hold out second, but the speed of Sydney University is sure to ruffle a few feathers. Shore and St Ignatius should both feature in the final, but aren’t likely to have a kind enough lane draw to make an impact on the tussle at the front.
