BOTH of Ireland's lightweight boats, the double scull and the coxless four, will need to qualify for semi final places through the repechage system tomorrow after heat races that saw the four produce the best Irish performance of the day to finish second behind the Danish World Champions.

Racing in a high quality field with only one crew to go directly into the next round, the Irish four - Tony O'Connor, Neville Maxwell, Sam Lynch and Derek Holland - quickly settled behind the Danish and, in front, the Italians.

Italy's explosive start had given them half a length after 500 metres and as they passed the halfway mark their lead had doubled. The Irish four seemed happy to leave the current and former world champions to battle it out for the last half of the race and without making any concerted push, they passed through a tiring Italian boat in the last 20 strokes.

Once the dominating force in lightweight rowing, Italy's four has suffered from a series of crew changes while two lightweight oarsmen regularly outperforming the squad where overlooked for following a coaching regime different to the one favoured by the selectors.

They 3.69 seconds, or two lengths, behind the Danish to secure a favourable repechage draw tomorrow. The time was also encouraging, an improvement on their last meeting in Duisberg when, with Sean Heaney and reserve NealDarby rowing, the margin was more than four seconds in an all out final. The only other crew to have beaten the Irish four this year, the Germans, fell victim to a shock result from South Africa to end a year long unbeaten run.

In their doubles sculls heat,

Brendan Dolan and Niall O'Toole found themselves racing against the Spanish boat that beat Ireland in the World Championship `C' final 11 months ago. The pace of De Marco and Saez, under pressure from the Italians, produced the fastest time of the three heats. In their first race since their selection, Dolan and O'Toole were left to finish a tactical fourth, 9.48 seconds behind the winners.

Based close to the Lake Lanier regatta course, the Irish squad has avoided an Olympic Village bus service, the irregular appearance of which lead one 250 strong gang of rowers to hijack their own transport for the two hour journey. Three times Olympic champion, Steve Redgrave described the travel arrangements as diabolical: "It looks as though the organisers knew they were going to be very busy, didn't fancy the hassle and decided to take two weeks off."