Johnny Sexton, Solheim Cup and a strange sacking

1. Brighton played their first match in a European competition this week, becoming the 38th English club to compete on the continental stage. Who were the first to play in a Uefa competition, in 1956?

   1. Wolves

   2. Preston

   3. Derby

   4. Manchester United

2. 

   The Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel scored a stunning last-minute equaliser against Atlético Madrid this week. He is not the first keeper to score in the Champions League. Hans-Jörg Butt scored three goals in the competition – what was remarkable about his trio of goals?

   1. They were scored in the same game

   2. They were scored in three different decades

   3. They were scored for three different clubs, but against the same club

   4. He scored one with his left foot, one with his right and one with his head

3. We’re 18 games into the Rugby World Cup. How many teams have lost to opponents who are below them in the current world ranking?

   1. None

   2. One

   3. Seven

   4. Nine

4. 

   Johnny Sexton has overtaken Ronan O’Gara as Ireland’s top points scorer. Which player holds the all-time points record for any country?

   1. Dan Carter

   2. Jonny Wilkinson

   3. Owen Farrell

   4. Neil Jenkins

5. Ireland’s match against South Africa on Saturday brings together the top ranked team in the world and the world champions. How many points have the two teams scored between them in their four World Cup matches so far?

   1. 122

   2. 180

   3. 235

   4. 348

6. 

   The Solheim Cup is underway in Spain. The competition – a women’s version of the Ryder Cup, where USA play Europe – is named after Karsten Solheim. He invested heavily in the competition. How did he make his money?

   1. His family owns the land the St Andrews old course is built on

   2. He invented the Ping putter

   3. He was Tiger Woods’ agent

   4. His father invented the golf tee

7. Two German cities hosted Champions League matches this week: Munich and …

   1. Dortmund

   2. Leipzig

   3. Berlin

   4. Hamburg

8. 

   Patrick Mahomes has signed a new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. How much is he being paid every year?

   1. $5m

   2. $25m

   3. $52m

   4. $100m

9. Why did the MLS club CF Montréal sack their forward Matko Miljevic?

   1. He said he could not train as he had Covid but was then caught on camera at the Buenos Aires carnival

   2. He told local media he would be “happy to lose a game 3-0 if it meant seeing Lionel Messi score a hat-trick”

   3. He asked to have his contract terminated because “Canada is too cold for any man in search of the good life”

   4. He punched an opponent – while playing for a local amateur club without the permission of his employers

10. 

    What happened for the first time this year in cycling’s three grand tours – the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España?

    1. They were all won by the same cyclist

    2. They were all won by cyclists from the USA

    3. They were won by the same team

    4. They all started in Spain

11. Newly promoted Sheffield United have not won any of their first five league games this season. They also had a difficult start in their previous season in the Premier League, in 2020-21. When did they pick up their first win?

    1. November

    2. December

    3. January

    4. February

12. 

    Going into the final weekend of the Super League season, three clubs are at the top of the table on the same number of points. Which of these clubs is not in that trio?

    1. Wigan Warriors

    2. Catalans Dragons

    3. St Helens

    4. Featherstone

13. James Milner has now represented five different clubs in Europe: Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton. Which of his former teammates also played in Europe for five clubs?

    1. Jonathan Woodgate

    2. David Beckham

    3. Jermain Defoe

    4. Peter Crouch

14. 

    Red Bull will almost certainly win the Formula One constructors’ championship in Japan this weekend. Their drivers have dominated this season, taking the chequered flag in 14 of the 15 races so far. Which driver won the other race?

    1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

    2. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

    3. George Russell, Mercedes

    4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

15. What was notable about Harry Winks’ performance for Leicester against Norwich in the Championship this week?

    1. He was subbed on in the first minute and subbed off in the second minute

    2. He wore the shirt No 40

    3. He scored a goal, an own goal, was yellow carded, red carded and had his sending off rescinded

    4. He competed 100% of the passes he attempted

Solutions

1:D – Liverpool have played the most seasons in Europe (48), but United were the first., 2:C – He scored penalties for Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich – and they all came against Juventus., 3:B – Fiji’s victory against Australia is the exception. No wonder Eddie Jones is getting stick at home. , 4:A – Carter scored 1,598 points for New Zealand. Jonny Wilkinson (1,246) and Owen Farrell (1,196) have also scored more than Sexton (1,095)., 5:C – Ireland scored 82 points against Romania and 59 against Tonga, with South Africa scoring 76 against Romania and a measly 18 against Scotland. , 6:B – Solheim took up golf in his mid-40s and, although he was a decent player, his short game was poor. So he set about inventing a new kind of putter. He came up with the Ping putter – named as it made a p-i-n-g sound – and made a fortune., 7:D – Shakhtar Donetsk, who cannot host their home matches in Ukraine, played Porto in Hamburg. RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin were also in action in the Champions League, but were all away from home., 8:C – The quarterback will be paid $210.6m in the next four seasons. He has also signed endorsement deals with, to name a few, Coors, T-Mobile, Oakley, Adidas, Head & Shoulders, DirectTV and Helzberg Diamonds. , 9:D – Apparently dismayed by his lack of minutes in MLS, the Argentinian-American forward used a fake name to sign up for a local league. He was rumbled when he punched an opponent and was given a lifetime ban. The MLS club said he was “engaging in conduct detrimental to the league and violating his standard player agreement”. , 10:C – Jumbo-Visma cyclists were victorious in all three tours: Primoz Roglic won the Giro, Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour and Sepp Kuss won the Vuelta., 11:C – They didn’t win any of their first 17 games – LLLLDLLLLLLLLDLLL – and finished last. , 12:D – Featherstone are top of the Championship, the second tier in rugby league., 13:A – Woodgate played in Europe for Leeds, Newcastle, Spurs and Stoke – as well as Real Madrid., 14:B – Max Verstappen has been exceptional for Red Bull, even winning 10 races in a row at one point this season. , 15:D – Winks attempted 83 passes and they all found a teammate. Leicester won 2-0.

Scores

1. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

2. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

3. 6 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

4. 7 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all. Have a great weekend.

5. 8 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all. Have a great weekend.

6. 9 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all. Have a great weekend.

7. 10 and above.

   That’s a superb scored. Well played. Have a great weekend

8. 11 and above.

   That’s a superb scored. Well played. Have a great weekend

9. 12 and above.

   That’s a superb scored. Well played. Have a great weekend

10. 13 and above.

    That’s a superb scored. Well played. Have a great weekend

11. 14 and above.

    That’s a superb scored. Well played. Have a great weekend

12. 15 and above.

    That’s a superb scored. Well played. Have a great weekend

13. 1 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

14. 3 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

15. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

16. 2 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week