A brilliant start and an equally impressive finish with some real disappointment in between characterised an exceptional day for Irish rowing at yesterday's World Cup regatta at Munich.

The excellent start was provided in the morning by Donegal lightweight sculler Sinead Jennings, only rowing since April of last year and sculling since September, who took first place with some aplomb in her heat to move into today's semi-final.

But it was the brilliant finish which left a buzz around the regatta as Ireland's lightweight four relegated the Danish four - Olympic and World Champions and the best crew at this level for the last four years - to fourth in the semi-final, winning with a devastating finish to move into today's final.

The Danes, who were short Thomas Poulsen, were shocked by the late Irish surge and trailed in over six seconds behind the winners with Austria, who had set the pace for much of the race, second and Russia third. It will be the first major final Denmark have missed in four years - and they won them all. They are the fastest four of any in the world. This includes the British heavyweight four, featuring four-time Olympic gold medallist Steven Redgrave, who followed Ireland by winning their own semi-final immediately afterwards.

The realistic attitude of the Irish was almost as heartening as the win: "We've a bit more to do," said Tony O'Connor; "We have to work on the first 500 (metres)," chipped in Neville Maxwell; "These are only stepping stones," (the Irish had also won their heat in the morning) said Gearoid Towey. Neal Byrne, the other member of the crew, also maintained a reserved outlook.

This crew, only brought together at Easter, thanks in no small part to the work of men's convenor Sebastiaan Peeters, has its eyes firmly on Olympic qualification at the Lucerne qualifier next month.

But their first aim is a win today, and a continuation of the steady progress with coach Ray Sims from there.

Unfortunately any thoughts of progress to Sydney have gone for the lightweight double scull of Niall O'Toole and Derek Holland, which came so close to Olympic qualification at the World Championships last year. Their chance of a medal here disappeared when they failed to gain a place in the semi-finals - yielding the second place they needed by seven-tenths of a second to Spain in the fastest of the repechages, which Greece won.

Holland as much as admitted that a bid by this double for Olympic qualification at the Lucerne qualifier is now no longer on the agenda. "It all went pear shaped in the last six weeks," he said. "I don't know where we go now," said O'Toole.

Significantly, the Metropolitan regatta today has what are effectively lightweight sculling trials, but one man who would very much be in the picture if he chooses - he was staying mum on the question yesterday - is Sam Lynch. His second places in a heat and then a repechage - which he led all the way to the last 50 metres when he was pipped by Germany's Christian Schneider - put him through to today's semi-finals. His form looks very much improved after recent illness.

The lightweight women's double of Vanessa Lawrenson and Maedhbh Terry can also be heartened by their third place in their repechage, since they only teamed up as a double recently. The women's lightweight quadruple scull finished second in a demonstration race, with the real thing taking place today.

Commercial lightweight single sculler Ruth Doyle also guaranteed herself competition today by finishing second in her heat yesterday.