All in a row: the effort is there for all to see as Oxford’s trial eights crews Slash and Burn produce, according to their coaches, “the race you hope you are going to get and very seldom do” on the Thames from Putney to Mortlake yesterday.

Nine full internationals among a multinational group from Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, New Zealand, Ireland, France and Britain sat on the Putney start with Burn, the winners of the toss, on the Surrey station. Slash, stroked by Colin Smith, a Great Britain rower and former Blue, went off the start at a higher rate of 46 strokes per minute and led by a third of a length at Fulham and a length at the Mile.

Simon Harris, the umpire, was warning them, however, and after some corrective steering, Slash’s advantage was cut to three quarters of a length at Hammersmith and the crews were level, battling stroke for stroke at 36 along Chiswick Eyot.

Bastien Ripoll, the first Frenchman seen fighting for a place in the Boat Race, was setting a great rhythm as Burn’s stroke, ably backed by Tom Parker, the Britain rower, and Barney Williams, the Oxford president and Olympic silver medal-winner from Canada. At Chiswick Steps, Burn had edged a half-length advantage but barely increased this to Barnes Bridge, where they faced the outside of the bend to the finish. They responded again, though, and went on to a 2¼-length win in 17min 47sec.

It was a good, advanced, rowing exhibition at this early date from both crews with some interesting twists. As Smith, the losing stroke, said: “You seldom see a crew coming back from clear water down or rowing as well as they did on the outside of the final bend.”

CREWS: SLASH: Bow: A Wright (St Edmund Hall); 2: D Burke (Lincoln); 3: S Colbert (Kellogg); 4: J Mathews (Balliol); 5: J Schroeder (Christ Church); 6: B Magee (St Catherine’s) 7: J Wetzel (Linacre); Stroke: C Smith* (St Catherine’s); Cox: S Pearce (Pembroke) BURN: Bow: M Munneke (Christ Church); 2: S Molvig (St Catherine’s); 3: A Brennan (Wadham); 4: P Daniels (St Anne’s); 5: R Esjmond-Frey (Oriel); 6: B Williams* (Jesus); 7: T Parker (Harris Manchester) Stroke: B Ripoll (St Catherine’s); Cox: N Brodie (St Catherine’s).

* denotes former Blue