Rugby World Cup, Euro 2024 and Wigan Warriors

1. England play South Africa on Saturday for a place in the Rugby World Cup final. England have won four of their previous five semi-finals. Who are the only team to have beaten them at this stage of the tournament?

   1. South Africa

   2. Scotland

   3. New Zealand

   4. Australia

2. 

   The England v South Africa match is a repeat of the final four years ago. What was the score in that game?

   1. South Africa 32-12 England

   2. South Africa 46-7 England

   3. South Africa 23-22 England

   4. South Africa 6-0 England

3. Ireland have played in all 10 Rugby World Cups. How many times have they lost in the quarter-finals?

   1. All 10

   2. Eight

   3. Six

   4. Four

4. 

   Why have Trent Alexander‑Arnold, Anthony Joshua, Juan Mata, Alexander Zverev, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce joined forces?

   1. To buy the Chiltern Firehouse hotel in London

   2. To film a new advert for the supermarket Aldi

   3. To buy a football club in the Scottish Premiership

   4. To invest in a Formula One team

5. Harry Kane scored another two goals for England this week, taking his tally to 61. What percentage of them have been penalties?

   1. 15%

   2. 23%

   3. 34%

   4. 50%

6. 

   Scotland have qualified for the European Championship twice this decade. When was the last time that happened?

   1. The 2000s

   2. The 1990s

   3. The 1980s

   4. The 1970s

7. Which two teams have 100% winning records in qualifying for Euro 2024?

   1. England and Scotland

   2. Spain and Germany

   3. Portugal and France

   4. Albania and Belgium

8. 

   Gareth Southgate has set a new record by representing England 146 times: 57 as a player and 89 as a manager. Who represented the country 145 times?

   1. Peter Shilton

   2. Alf Ramsey

   3. Wayne Rooney

   4. Walter Winterbottom

9. Darts player Ricardo Pietreczko won the German Masters in his home city of Berlin this week. What is his cartoonish nickname?

   1. Roadrunner

   2. Moomintroll

   3. Bananaman

   4. Pikachu

10. 

    It was a great weekend for Wigan Warriors. They won the Super League Grand Final on Saturday. Which competition did the club win on Sunday?

    1. The Women’s Grand Final

    2. The Challenge Cup

    3. The Wheelchair Grand Final

    4. The Rugby League Youth Cup

11. Which footballer has played in his country’s last 81 matches – a run that started more than six years ago?

    1. Steven Davis

    2. Antoine Griezmann

    3. Bernardo Silva

    4. Luka Modric

12. 

    Frankie Dettori will race in the UK for the last time this weekend. Where?

    1. Cheltenham

    2. Aintree

    3. Ascot

    4. Goodwood

13. Scotland played their first women’s cricket ODI for 20 years this week and won by 40 runs. Who did they beat?

    1. Ireland

    2. Netherlands

    3. South Africa

    4. Spain

14. 

    “The NFL’s gonna fine me for it, but it’s worth it,” said Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill after his touchdown celebration on Sunday. What did he do?

    1. He gave the ball to his mother in the crowd

    2. He tackled the team mascot, TD, in the end zone

    3. He grabbed a fan’s phone and filmed a “backflip selfie”

    4. Pulled a cigar out from under his helmet

15. The Georgia men’s football team have had an interesting few weeks. They suffered the biggest defeat of their history last month, losing 7-1 at home to Spain. What did they do this week?

    1. They played Spain again and held on for a goalless draw

    2. They beat Thailand 8-0, the biggest win in their history

    3. They sacked a manager, replaced him and then sacked his replacement

    4. They were due to play Spain again in a friendly but called the game off as they were “not in the right state of mind”

Story continues

Solutions

1:C – New Zealand won 45-29 when the teams met in the 1995 semi-final., 2:A – Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe scored the decisive tries for South Africa., 3:B – Death, taxes and Ireland failing to go past the quarter-finals., 4:D – The actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are also involved in the venture., 5:C – Kane has scored 21 penalties for England (and missed four). To put that in some context, Kevin Keegan and Steven Gerrard scored 21 goals each for England., 6:B – Scotland have only reached four Euros: 1992, 1996, 2020 and 2024. , 7:C – Portugal have been particularly impressive. They have won all eight of their qualifiers so far, with Cristiano Ronaldo chipping in with nine goals. , 8:B – Ramsey made 32 appearances as a player and 113 as a manager. , 9:D – “Someone misheard my surname as Pikachu at a tournament and it stuck immediately,” explains the world No 53, who stunned Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright to win his first major trophy., 10:C – Wigan beat Leeds Rhinos 50-42 in the wheelchair final in Manchester on Sunday, having seen off Catalans Dragons at Old Trafford the day before., 11:B – Two of those 81 matches were World Cup finals. , 12:C – Dettori has won more than 3,300 races in his 37-year career – including seven on one day at Ascot in 1996., 13:A – The first match of a five-part ODI and T20 series, the game was played in Almería, Spain. Scotland’s women beat South Africa in rugby at the weekend and their women’s football team face the Netherlands in the Nations League next week., 14:C – The clip was uploaded to an official NFL social media channel then swiftly deleted as it broke the league’s celebration rules. Hill handed the ball to his mother in an earlier game this season, although a confused Dolphins fan initially intercepted it before realising his mistake., 15:B – If you ever need a confidence builder, invite Thailand over for a game.

Scores

1. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

2. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

3. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

4. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

5. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week

6. 6 and above.

   That’s a fine score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

7. 7 and above.

   That’s a fine score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

8. 8 and above.

   That’s a fine score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

9. 9 and above.

   That’s a fine score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

10. 10 and above.

    That’s a fine score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

11. 11 and above.

    That’s a sensational score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

12. 12 and above.

    That’s a sensational score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

13. 13 and above.

    That’s a sensational score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

14. 14 and above.

    That’s a sensational score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend

15. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

16. 15 and above.

    That’s a sensational score. Well played. Enjoy the weekend