Paul O’Donovan and Gary O’Donovan took silver in a terrific World Cup race in the blazing sunshine of Poznan, Poland.
France, who took gold ahead of Ireland at the Olympic Games and the recent European Championships, repeated the feat here, leading all the way down the course. The Ireland lightweight double took over in second in the middle stages, but it was a slender lead over the rest of the field.
In an exciting finish, China and Poland pushed hard to take over in second, but the Skibbereen duo held firm.
Earlier Sanita Puspure won the battle of the Ireland women's single scullers. The 35-year-old, who has been recovering from illness, won the B Final, relegating Monika Dukarska to third. The margin was just 3.55 seconds.
The new crew of Aifric Keogh and Aileen Crowley finished second in the B Final of the women's pairl.
