My wife was demeaned

Golden pairing’s new book details fiery confrontations with rowing officials that almost split their partnership

New Zealand’s double Olympic gold medalwinning pair Eric Murray and Hamish Bond almost had their rowing relationship severed before reaching the London Games.

Their new autobiography, The Kiwi Pair, claims Murray and his wife Jackie were called to a meeting with Bond, Rowing New Zealand selectors Conrad Robertson and Barrie Mabbott, high performance manager Alan Cotter and coach Dick Tonks to discuss Murray’s desire to return home for the birth of his first child prior to the 2011 world championships.

Murray said the selection panel asked Bond privately whether he wanted his crewmate kicked out so he could row with someone else.

The book, written in collaboration with author Scotty Stevenson, is due out on Friday.

“We were in breach of the unspoken contract,” Murray wrote.

“I was told that I should be thinking about my career, not about having children; Jackie was ostensibly accused of being irresponsible, that the decision to have a child would ruin my career.”

Murray wrote that Robertson, the convenor of selectors and a 1984 Olympic coxless four gold medallist, looked at him and said: “Men didn’t come home from war just because women were having children.”

“It was the most insane thing I had ever heard, in the worst meeting of my life,” Murray said.

The pair went on to win the world championships and maintain their unbeaten record until the present day.

“This is the first time it’s been brought to my attention,” Robertson said when contacted by the Herald yesterday.

“We have many meetings with lots of crews, including the men’s pair. I can’t recall this word-forword at present but over the years there have been a number of issues that need serious discussion.” Another controversial incident in the book involves the pair’s falling out with coach Tonks, also in 2011. Bond had requested a training off so he could spend a weekend with his now-wife Lizzie before the three-month campaign overseas. Tonks didn’t like the idea but Bond felt comfortable going ahead, given he hadn’t missed a training session for anything other than injury in five seasons of elite rowing.

Later that day Tonks called a meeting with the pair and high performance manager Cotter.

Bond and Murray allege he burst through the door and exclaimed: “You blond-haired, arrogant, motherf***ing c***s! Who do you think you are!” in relation to them wanting time off. “[That was] the beginning of the end of any meaningful relationship I had had with . . . Tonks,” Bond wrote.

Tonks last night responded to Herald inquiries by saying: “Thanks for the consideration, but I have a policy of not commenting on rowers' personalities and I'll stick to my principles.”