#ARC26 Day Seven Preview: Power, pride and passion on the line at Interstate Regatta

By Rupert Guinness at the Lake Barrington International Rowing Course

The Interstate Regatta, this year presented by Events Tasmania at Lake Barrington on Sunday, are rowing’s answer to ‘State of Origin,’ where club crewmates one day will suddenly find themselves opposed as archrivals the next.

The afternoon regatta follows the final races in the morning of the 2026 Australian Rowing Championships (ARC26) that have seen a record 2,100 athletes compete and the celebration of a decade-long partnership between Rowing Australia and Hancock Prospecting, led by Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO.

What sets the Interstate Rowing Championships apart is that for one day, so many crewmates become opponents, as they swap club colours for representative colours. The battle is for both the individual race title trophies and the ‘John Coates AC Cup,’ that goes to the State or Territory that wins the 10-race regatta on overall points.

The blue riband interstate clashes are the Queen’s Cup and King’s Cup races for the women’s and men’s Interstate Eights, the last two events on the regatta program.

The King’s Cup, Sunday’s final race, dates back to the Australian Imperial Force crew that won the trophy at the 1919 Henley Peace Regatta and brought it back to Australia. Since 1922 it has been the perpetual trophy for the Interstate Men’s Eight and remains one of the most prestigious events in Australian rowing.

Victoria, last year’s winner, are the favourites; although illness has impacted the crew which has led to Olympian Angus Widdicombe OLY coming out of his 2025 retirement to return to the boat, as he did in the Open Men’s Fours Final on Friday.

Widdicombe is not short of enthusiasm for Sunday’s interstate clash. He labelled his return from retirement in the Four on Friday, “as a little dust off for the King's Cup.”

Widdicombe is certainly motivated. He will tap into memories of 2021 when he stroked Victorria to victory when the King’s Cup was last held on Lake Barrington.

“The ‘Big V's’ … ‘gonna’ be back. We like it here in Tassie; so, hopefully we can keep it that way,” Widdicombe said.

The Victorians cannot expect to get it all their way though, with NSW equally as confident of what they can put up against the defending champions.

Alex Nichol, who stroked the Sydney Rowing Club boat to victory in Saturday’s Open Eights Final of the ARC26, believes the NSW crew will be ready for the challenge.

Four of the winning Sydney RC crew, including coxswain Nicholas Dunlop, will back up to race for NSW in the King’s Cup, but with Nichol switching to the seven seat.

“We really thought it was a good idea to be racing the Eight today, to get used to those movements in the body and the conditions for tomorrow,” said Nichol.

A dark horse threat for Sunday’s race may well be South Australia, especially with the stern pair of Olympians Alex Hill OAM OLY and Angus Dawson OLY.

South Australia also has a strong youthful engine room to feed off their experience and drive and a dogged light bow pair to ensure top end boat speed holds.

“South Australia has put a good crew put together for the first time in a while … a few young guys, pretty strong guys,” Dawson said.

“I am really excited to see what we can take from this opportunity.”

The Interstate Women’s Eight, meanwhile, has been raced as an eight oared event since 1999 after changing from the original Four, and in 2003 was officially named the Queen Elizabeth II Trophy, or Queen’s Cup. It has since grown into an equally prestigious centrepiece of the Interstate Championships alongside the King’s Cup.

NSW are the favourites as defending champions, with Victoria always a serious contender; but the ‘sky blues’ are intent on making sure every threat is covered.

“The Queen's Cup is very special event,” said crewmember Georgina Rowe.

“Anytime you put on the sky blue for New South Wales, you feel a sense of pride.

“We are the ones that are going to be setting the pace tomorrow. We've got a great crew that are just so stoked and so happy to be there.

“We’ve got two first-timers, which they're so excited which lifts us as well …

“We're going to put out a really solid race and get out in front and stay in front.”

A dark horse challenger is West Australia with half the crew being the Four that won the Australian Championship and the Mrs Gina Rinehart AO Trophy on Sunday.

“We're very, very excited. We feel like from WA, we're punching above our weight a little bit,” said Georgia Patten OLY who raced in the Australian title winning Four.

“We've been building something special over the last four or five years, and we're excited to see what we can do when we get that crew out there on Sunday.

“We're taking a lot of confidence from that [Four] result. The other four that we've got coming into the boat are super keen, super fit, and ready to get out there.

“I'm excited when we get all eight of us together, what we can achieve.”

The Interstate Rowing Championships start at 1pm with the Women's PR3 Single Scull and Men’s PR3 Single Scull races. They are then followed by the President’s Cup (men’s single scull), Nell Slatter Trophy (women’s single scull), Penrith Cup

(men’s lightweight four), Victoria Cup (women’s lightweight quad), and the Noel F. Wilkinson Trophy and Bicentennial Trophy for the men’s and women’s youth eights.

Race Schedule: Sunday, March 29

Day 7 Final Australian Rowing Championships

7:45 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Quadruple Scull ....................................... D Final

7:50 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Quadruple Scull ...................................... D Final

7:55 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Four ......................................................... C Final

8:00 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Quadruple Scull ....................................... C Final

8:05 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Quadruple Scull ...................................... C Final

8:10 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Eight ........................................................ C Final

8:15 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Eight ....................................................... C Final

8:20 AM Schoolgirl's Single Scull ......................................................... B Final

8:25 AM Schoolboy's Single Scull ........................................................ B Final

8:30 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Four ......................................................... B Final

8:35 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Four ........................................................ B Final

8:40 AM Schoolgirl's Double Scull ........................................................ B Final

8:45 AM Schoolboy's Double Scull ....................................................... B Final

8:50 AM Under 17 Schoolgirl's Coxed Eight ........................................ B Final

8:55 AM Under 17 Schoolboy's Coxed Eight ........................................ B Final

9:00 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Quadruple Scull ....................................... B Final

9:05 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Quadruple Scull ...................................... B Final

9:10 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Eight ........................................................ B Final

9:15 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Eight ....................................................... B Final

9:20 AM Schoolgirl's Single Scull ......................................................... A Final

9:30 AM Schoolboy's Single Scull ........................................................ A Final

9:40 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Four ......................................................... A Final

9:50 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Four ........................................................ A Final

10:00 AM Club Women's Coxless Four ................................................ Final

10:10 AM Club Men's Coxless Four ......................................................... Final

10:20 AM Schoolgirl's Double Scull ........................................................ A Final

10:30 AM Schoolboy's Double Scull ....................................................... A Final

10:40 AM Under 17 Schoolgirl's Coxed Eight ......................................... A Final

10:50 AM Under 17 Schoolboy's Coxed Eight ........................................ A Final

11:00 AM Club Women's Double Scull ................................................... Final

11:10 AM Club Men's Double Scull ........................................................ Final

11:20 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Quadruple Scull ....................................... A Final

11:30 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Quadruple Scull ...................................... A Final

11:40 AM Schoolgirl's Coxed Eight ........................................................ A Final

11:50 AM Schoolboy's Coxed Eight ....................................................... A Final

12:00 PM Club Women's Coxed Eight .................................................... Final

12:10 PM Club Men's Coxed Eight ......................................................... Final

Lunch Break

Interstate Regatta

1:00 PM Interstate Women's Pr3 Single Scull ....................................... Final

1:10 PM Interstate Men's Pr3 Single Scull ............................................ Final

1:25 PM Interstate Women's Single Scull (Nell Slatter Trophy) ............ Final

1:40 PM Interstate Men's Single Scull (President’s Cup) .... .......... Final

1:55 PM Interstate Lightweight Women's Quadruple Scull (Victoria Cup) Final

2:10 PM Interstate Lightweight Men's Coxless Four (Penrith Cup) ....... Final

2:25 PM Interstate Women's Youth Eight (Bicentennial Trophy) ............ Final

2:45 PM Interstate Men's Youth Eight (Noel F. Wilkinson Trophy) ........ Final

3:05 PM Interstate Women's Eight (Queen’s Cup) ................................ Final

3:25 PM Interstate Men's Eight (King’s Cup) ......................................... Final

2025 Interstate Rowing Championships Winners

• King’s Cup (Men’s Eight): Victoria

• Queen’s Cup (Women’s Eight): New South Wales

• President’s Cup (Men’s Single): Oscar McGuinness (South Australia)

• Nell Slatter Trophy (Women’s Single): Tara Rigney OLY (NSW)

• Penrith Cup (Lightweight Men’s Four): Victoria

• Victoria Cup (Lightweight Women’s Quad): Tasmania

• Bicentennial Cup (Women’s Youth Eight): NSW

• Noel F Wilkinson Trophy (Men’s Youth Eight): Victoria

• Interstate Para rowing (Women’s PR3 Single): Susannah Lutze PLY (Victoria)

• Interstate Para rowing (Men’s PR3 Single): Flynn Wilkinson (NSW)

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