Women's single sculler Fiona Bourke negotiated a repechage; the men's eight and coxless four face theirs tomorrow.
A lack of entries means the women's quadruple scullers race a heat to determine finals places tomorrow.
Swiss crowds tend to be a tough gig to entertain but Bond and Murray had them applauding in the aisles at the Rotsee two years ago when they equalled the record for the most consecutive wins in the same class at international regattas (15).
They have extended that to 19, including 55 race wins, five world championships and Olympic gold. They also won their heat and final to secure last year's men's coxed pair world championship with Caleb Shepherd, and were part of the winning coxless four in 2007.
However, last weekend's end to Val Adams' 56-victory shot put reign in Paris shows all champions can face vulnerability.
As a pair, Bond and Murray have seldom looked like failing, but their decision to miss the last World Cup in Varese, Italy will spur key opponents from France, Britain and the Netherlands.
Those crews have each claimed a gold at key regattas this season. At the first World Cup it was France; at the European championships it was Britain; at the second World Cup it was the Dutch.
Rowing New Zealand has entered 21 boats in Lucerne. They are represented in each of the 14 Olympic classes as the governing body pursues its goal of filling all at next year's Rio Games. New Zealand is also represented in two of the four non-Olympic classes.
In addition to Bond and Murray, the four winners at the World Cup in Varese are set to lead New Zealand's cause. They are Olympic single sculling champion Mahe Drysdale, fresh from a fifth victory at the Henley Royal Regatta, new double sculling combination of Zoe Stevenson and Eve Macfarlane, the lightweight four of James Hunter, Alistair Bond, James Lassche and Curtis Rapley, and McBride in the non-Olympic lightweight single sculls.
Other areas to watch:
- The performances of the men's and women's eights, a cornerstone to New Zealand's advancement across the wider sport beyond their small boat niche. The heat win by the women's eight is a fine start.
- The versatility of Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler, bronze medallists at Varese, who, in a modern day rarity, will double up in the eight. They won their pairs heat.
- Bourke's recovery in the single sculls. She finished second in the 'C' final (14th) at Varese. Her mission, in Emma Twigg's study absence, is to qualify the boat for Rio by finishing in the top nine at the world championships. Complicating matters is the fact Bourke is already a contender for Olympic gold in her preferred double sculls where, with Stevenson, she won a world championship last year.
