Fresh from South Africa’s RMB National Squad taking the World Championships in Amsterdam by storm, the next generation of rowing stars will face off in the 2026 RMB Universities’ Boat Race, on the Kowie River in Port Alfred from 10 to 13 September.
Backed by RMB for the 10th year, this year’s regatta will revive decades-old inter-varsity rivalries and forge new ones, with 60% of competitors first-time participants in the elite event.
Many of South Africa’s champion rowers have emerged through the university rowing pathway, including Olympian Paige Badenhorst and Christopher Baxter, who impressed at the recent World Championships. Two more Amsterdam finalists, Courtney Westley and Katherine Williams will race for Tuks, helping defend the Isis Blade trophy the university has held since 2017 – with Thato Mokoena, Tuks Rowing head coach and RowSA’s Under-23 head coach, driving them on.
Across the water, UCT’s men will be fighting to hold onto the Cambridge Rudder trophy they’ve won three years running (2023–2025).
Ten universities go head-to-head this year: Rhodes, Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Wits, Stellenbosch, Cape Town and the Western Cape.
A pipeline two decades in the making
Behind this year’s rivalry is a decade of investment in South African rowing talent. RMB’s longstanding support of the Universities’ Boat Race and the National Rowing Squad has helped create opportunities for athletes to develop and compete at the highest level – support that Michael Edwards, RMB Sponsorship Marketing Lead, says is delivering results.
“South Africa’s rowers have done the country proud by consistently bringing home world championship and Olympic medals over the past two decades,” says Edwards. “The talent of those senior rowers was honed at school and university level, which shows that ongoing support throughout a gifted rower’s career pays dividends. We’re proud to be part of that impact story.”
That investment is now coming full circle, with past champions returning to coach the next generation. Sizwe Ndlovu – a London 2012 gold medallist and the first black African rower to win Olympic gold, as part of the “oarsome foursome” in the men’s lightweight coxless fours – now coaches the UJ rowing team, inspiring his athletes to lead in and out of the water. His gold-medal teammate, four-time Olympian John Smith, rowed for Tuks as a student and went on to found the Go for Gold Foundation, which supports and mentors underprivileged rowers.
“Our rowing Olympians’ journeys show how school and university sport are a vital pathway to elite international achievement,” says Edwards. “Will we be watching some of our future Olympians on the Kowie River this September? It’s highly possible.”
A must-watch on the water
Known for its electric atmosphere, the RMB University Boat Race draws family, friends and rowing fans to watch the country’s top student athletes push themselves to the limit of skill, speed and endurance. Expect a showdown worthy of South Africa’s answer to the Oxford–Cambridge rivalry.
Visit the RMB and USSA websites, RMB social media platform and USSA Instagram page for regular updates.
