Reed and Triggs-Hodge giving Grobler food for thought

YOU'D imagine there to be few headaches for the British Rowing brains trust after masterminding a record medal haul at the World Rowing Championships last week - but you'd be wrong.

HAPPY CHAPS: Andy Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed, pictured celebrating Olympic gold in Beijing, have their work cut out return to the top of the podium at London 2012 (Getty Images)

Four gold medals, four silvers and a bronze in able-bodied events added to a medal of each colour in the Paralympic events and Great Britain topped the overall event medal table.

But one of those silver medals sticks out like a sore thumb. Andy Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed suffered their 13th consecutive defeat to New Zealand pairing Hamish Bond and Eric Murray in the pair.

To their credit they are sticking to their task manfully and on Lake Karapiro, with the Kiwis benefiting from the advantage of home waters, the Brits' defeat was by the smallest margin to date.

They are closing the gap on the Kiwis, if it's one millimetre at a time.

But it leaves head coach Jurgen Grobler with a decision to make.

Triggs-Hodge and Reed are Great Britain's most powerful and most valuable two rowers at Grobler's disposal and are members of the quartet to win Olympic gold in the four in Beijing.

A run of 13 straight defeats may suggest that it's time to return the duo to the four - who were Great Britain's sole defeated champions in New Zealand, only to leave empty-handed, even if unfavourable crosswinds must take a large portion of blame.

It's testament to Triggs-Hodge and Reed for staying in the pair, but the two are no strangers to adversary in the build up to an Olympic odyssey.

In 2007, alongside Alex Partridge and Steve Williams, Triggs-Hodge and Reed won their 27th consecutive race in the four, having wrapped up gold at all three World Cups in 2005 and 2006.

A year later however a lack of form saw Partridge relegated to the eight and Tom James was called up to replace him only, along with Triggs-Hodge, to be struck down with injury.

The quartet to win Olympic gold therefore, only rowed together for the first time at the final World Cup in Lucerne before clinching the most impressive of golds in Beijing.

Victory in the pair at London 2012 would no doubt trump even that accomplishment and if they duo were going to cut their losses, surely they'd have done so before number 13.

In pursuing widespread dominance however, Grobler runs the risk of settling for two silver medals at the expense of one gold. And as a result he's probably reaching for the aspirin at present.