After 4 different champions in 4 seasons, 6 Nations in 2012 could be most open ...
LONDON - With four different champions in the past four seasons and no overwhelming favourite, the 2012 Six Nations could be the most open and interesting tournament for years.
Three of the six teams have switched coaches since last year's Rugby World Cup, several stalwarts have retired and there are questions to be answered over the next six weeks.
Can Philippe Saint-Andre fine-tune a France squad that defied expectations to reach last year's Rugby World Cup final or will interim England coach Stuart Lancaster engineer a successful title defence with an exciting but inexperienced squad?
Perhaps Wales can build on fourth place at the World Cup, or maybe Ireland's injection of youth is exactly what its experienced squad needs.
With Wales hit by injuries to flyhalf Rhys Priestland and prop Gethin Jenkins, France and Ireland appear to be best placed to contest the title.
Saint-Andre has picked largely the same squad that lost the World Cup final by a single point even with the players and his predecessor, Mark Lievremont, barely on speaking terms. With the coach and players pulling together, the title is a realistic prospect.
ASU women's basketball seek big win vs. No. 4 Stanford
In the past 4 seasons, Stanford women’s basketball is 155-15 with four of its losses coming in the NCAA Final Four.
Only three of those defeats were to Pac-12 opponents, none of those since January 2009. The No. 4 Cardinal (18-1, 9-0) carries a 66-game conference win streak to ASU Thursday night, trying for a 12th consecutive win over the Sun Devils.
ASU (15-5, 6-3) is on a season-high five-game winning streak and tied with California — Saturday’s opponent — for second in the Pac-12. Cal took Stanford into overtime Saturday while USC and Oregon State also stayed inside 10 points of the Cardinal in the first half of conference play.
“We’ve got to be really locked in and make them earn every step, every bounce, every catch,” ASU interim coach Joseph Anders said. “Nothing can be easy. You’ve got to first take away transition then you’ve got to be ready for a series on on-ball screens.
“We’re not trying to change our defensive philosophy because it’s Stanford. We’re trying to be better at what we do defensively then put our hard work against their hard work and see who’s the best.”
