NZ rowing boss set to cross Tasman

Andrew Matheson is set to leave his high performance manager role with Rowing New Zealand (RNZ) to take up the equivalent position in Australia.

Matheson would not comment today but NZPA understands he has been in negotiations with Australian officials and is close to going down the same road as Wallabies rugby coach Robbie Deans.

A Rowing Australia source said Matheson had been aggressively pursued to fill a new role created as the organisation expands ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

If he accepts the offer, Matheson will work in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport programme and appoint two head coaches, to lead the respective men's and women's crews.

Matheson, who has been with RNZ since 2002, rowed for New Zealand in the mid-1990s and won a world championship silver medal with the coxed four.

He has overseen a successful period for New Zealand rowing, featuring multiple world championship performances and two successful Olympic campaigns.

New Zealand won a gold medal at the Beijing Games through double scull twins Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell and two bronzes – to single sculler Mahe Drysdale and men's pair George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle.

Australia won two gold medals and one silver at the same regatta, exceeding their expectations.

Meanwhile, BikeNZ high performance manager Mark Elliott, squashed similar reports that he was also crossing the Tasman to join Cycling Australia.

"I'm good to go for New Zealand for the next quadrennial, no doubt about that," Elliott said.

"I've made a commitment to BikeNZ that would take some crazy money out of Qatar for me to even consider changing."  

- © Fairfax NZ News