Lightweight four face demanding test

Rowing World Cup regattaIreland's top crew, the lightweight four, go into this weekend's World Cup regatta in Poznan in Poland ready to test themselves against the men who denied them gold at last year's World Championships in Japan.

World champions France did not compete at this season's first World Cup regatta in Munich, where Ireland's lightweight four, in which Gearóid Towey has replaced Tim Harnedy this season, took silver behind Germany. The Germans, along with Australia, Britain and China, will be in the hunt for medals again this week.

Ireland have nine other boats in action this weekend. Four are under-23 crews whose aim is to gain experience, and four others would hope to improve on their placings at Munich. The one new senior crew is the lightweight men's double of Harnedy, who has been recovering from an ankle operation, and Richard Coakley. Both are 23 and ambitious athletes although this is a difficult class and Olympic champions Robert Sycz and Thomasz Kucharski of Poland make a rare World Cup appearance.

Ireland's lightweight women's double of Niamh Ní Cheilleachair and Sinead Jennings will aim for an A final place following their 13th-place finish in Munich.

Single sculler Caroline Ryan bids for a place in the B Final. Seán O'Neill and Seán Casey should move up from their 15th place in Munich in the men's pair where world champions Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater of New Zealand enter the fray for the first time this season.

IRELAND: MEN: Four (two crews): C Folan, S Jacob, C Collis, A Martin; J Wall, D Barry, P O'Brien, P Murray. Pair: S O'Neill, S Casey. Quadruple: L Molloy, K Rabbitte, G Ward, B Clarke. Lightweight Four: G Towey, E Coakley, R Archibald, P Griffin. Lightweight Double (two crews): R Coakley, T Harnedy; S Walsh, J Brinn. WOMEN: Single Scull: C Ryan. Lightweight Double: S Jennings, N Ni Cheilleachair. Lightweight Single: O Hayes.