The next two weekends may play a big part in determining the shape of Ireland's international representation for the World Cup regattas this year. The big Ghent regatta this weekend has a huge Irish entry, most solidly club rowers but with some out to impress the international selectors, and the first draft of an Irish team is shown in the crews just chosen for Essen the following Saturday and Sunday.
The absence of some of the elite is obvious in the Essen crews, but there will be a lot of interest in how the newly-minted men's lightweight pair of Gearoid Towey and Tony O'Connor do.
The other members of the Olympic four, Neville Maxwell and Neal Byrne - who hopes to be part of an international double scull this year - have been unavailable, and Towey and O'Connor will be joined by Derek Holland and Richard Archibald in the four on Sunday.
The plan of national convenor Sebastiaan Peeters is to build from Essen via coaching sessions and a national trial to the first World Cup in Seville on June 14th to 16th.
World Championships medallists Sinead Jennings, who competes at Essen, and Sam Lynch are effectively pre-selected for Seville, and heavyweight sculler Albert Maher, who won the single sculls title in the South African championships, will also compete.
The sheer breadth of the Irish challenge in Ghent is shown by the presence of over 100 entries tomorrow alone.
