Difficult choices now loom for Triggs-Hodge and Reed

ANDY Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed admitted they will consider their future after a comprehensive Henley Royal Regatta defeat by world champions Eric Murray and Hamish Bond.

CRUSHED: Andy Triggs-Hodge was at a loss to explain his defeat, alongside Peter Reed, at the Henley Royal Regatta (Action Images)

The Kiwis have now won all nine of their encounters with the British pair, who got together after being part of the Olympic champion men's four in Beijing.

At last month's World Cup in Munich, Triggs-Hodge believed they were closing the gap on their rivals - but the comfortable manner of their five length defeat in the Silver Goblets final does not appear to show that.

British coach Jurgen Grobler now has a difficult decision to make - either maintain the duo in the pair or, as suggested by Sir Steve Redgrave and others, form a new men's four in a bid to retain the Olympic title Great Britain have held since Sydney 2000.

In the past Grobler has been ruthless in switching or dropping personnel in pursuit of Olympic titles.

And with the London 2012 pressure firmly on British Rowing - after they won six medals, including two golds, in Beijing - don't expect him to shirk the job with plenty of time ahead before November's World Championships in New Zealand.

"We've got another World Cup in Lucerne in five days and we can't think about anything until after that," said Triggs-Hodge.

"We'll analyse this because I thought were in a good place to put together our best performance at Henley.

"We led for quite a while but over five strokes everything just changed. Suddenly I saw them disappear. They walked away from us and there is no way that should ever happen."

The strange vagaries of head-to-head racing at Henley could be one factor, according to Triggs-Hodge, so next week in Lucerne becomes even more important to the long-term future of the partnership.