New Zealander Duncan Holland coaches Cambridge at his second Boat Race on Saturday (7th April).

Holland has already faced some difficult decisions in the run-up to the 153rd Boat Race - which is sponsored by Xchanging – none more so than the decision to replace cox Russell Glenn with Rebecca Dowbiggin.

“Rebecca has made it into the top crew and that’s hugely exciting for her,” he said

“We are a tight knit team and Russell was very much a part of that. To have to shatter his dream was an unpleasant thing to do, but sports coaches are expected to make decisions about the relative abilities of people.

“He has behaved impeccably, which is what we expected, but it’s good to see,” added Holland.

The Cambridge head coach believes this year’s Light Blue crew is better than the one that lost last year’s Boat Race by five lengths.

“There’s only one measurement as far as I’m concerned and that’s speed,” he said. “I think this is a better crew than last year, and we’re a little faster.

“It’s going well. Each group has a different social dynamic. I think this crew is more of a unit, both technically and socially, than last year, and I think it’s a little bit more resilient,” he said.

The 153rd Boat Race, which is sponsored by Xchanging, gets underway at 4.30pm on Saturday (7th April).