Boat Race Banter: RR Pick and Prediction for the 2012 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race



The Boat Race is just around the corner, and, as usual, we have some thoughts on just what to look for this weekend. We've seen the evidence from fixtures and early season training, gone over the lineups, and, in the end, we've come to the same conclusion as the bookies–Oxford will win the 2012 Boat Race. Not only that, but we will say that Oxford will win by three lengths.

Why? Oxford head coach Sean Bowden has proven again and again that he knows exactly what it takes to produce a Boat Race winning crew, and this alone is enough to convince us that the weight differential is not a major concern (though typically the heavier crew–that would be Cambridge this year–has an advantage in the often rough conditions on the Tideway). Having been tested against some similar competition, Oxford have shown that they are capable of battling back from adversity, enduring clashes and racing at close quarters. Also, it's worrying that Cambridge struggled against the University of London in an early Tideway session, losing three straight pieces to UL, and splitting a fixture with a Molesey crew that was largely intact from a fixture with Oxford two weeks earlier (when Oxford won two of two).

As a nod to Oxford, we've given our mascot, RoRy, a Dark Blue blade in the RR header (upper right of the page) for the weekend. If Cambridge prove us wrong, we'll give RoRy a Light Blue blade throughout next week.

Upcoming: The second half of our two-part interview with U.S. lightweight sculling standout, Nick Trojan.

-RR

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