Rowing: Trinity get one over on Commercial

The senior eight team have won all of the big races early in the season

Trinity’s senior eight and coaches celebrate after their win at Trinity Regatta.
Trinity’s senior eight and coaches celebrate after their win at Trinity Regatta.

Trinity’s men’s senior eight have won all the big races early in the season, and they continued their run with an impressive victory over Commercial at Trinity Regatta on Saturday morning.

Commercial are the champions of Ireland and this was a notable win for the men in black and white. In stunningly good conditions, the two crews battled it out through the early stages, but Trinity led by the final bend and had a length to spare passing the boat clubs. They won by one and a third length.

Trinity won the colours race, the Gannon Cup, last month and the University Championships of Ireland last weekend.

The race was run early so that both crews could be at full strength.

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“It was the only way to have both crews at 100 per cent,” said Trinity coach Richard Ruggieri.

The American said his crew will now go into the “brutal” exam season, but then he will take them out for more extensive sessions at Blessington.

Trinity won the women’s senior eight with two powerful performances. They beat Commercial A in the semifinals and then the Commercial B crew in the final.

The first race had the air of what Trinity cox Megan Jungmann called a ‘grudge match’ as their opponents were Trinity alumni; the Commercial B crew were made up of UCD alumni.