unbeaten runs, new coaches and ‘the whole truth’

1. Ireland host New Zealand in a big rugby union autumn international in Dublin tonight. In the Andy Farrell era, who are the only team to beat Ireland at home?

   1. England

   2. France

   3. New Zealand

   4. South Africa

2. In the Premier League, Manchester City’s 32-game unbeaten run was snapped by Bournemouth. Saturday’s 2-1 victory was the Cherries’ first win over City since … ?

   1. 2009

   2. 1999

   3. 1989

   4. It was their first-ever win over City

3. Which former Wimbledon champion has appointed Goran Ivanisevic as their new coach for next season?

   1. Ashleigh Barty

   2. Carlos Alcaraz

   3. Elena Rybakina

   4. Jannik Sinner

4. Why did Jalen Walthall, a wide receiver for college football team Incarnate Word Cardinals, go viral this week?

   1. His ‘bowling pin’ free headstand celebration

   2. He was suspended by his Texas school for endorsing Kamala Harris

   3. He sacked the opposing quarterback 10 times

   4. He returned a punt for a touchdown with a broken ankle

5. Max Verstappen is close to a fourth world title after winning the São Paulo GP from 17th on the grid. Who is the only F1 driver to win from a lower starting position on a 20-car grid?

   1. Rubens Barrichello

   2. Lewis Hamilton

   3. Michael Schumacher

   4. Max Verstappen

6. In rugby union, which club are top of the Premiership Women’s Rugby table but winless in the men’s top flight?

   1. Bristol

   2. Exeter

   3. Leicester

   4. Sale

7. The Champions League is at the halfway point of its ‘league phase’. Which of these players is not among the quartet of top scorers (each with five goals)?

   1. Harry Kane

   2. Robert Lewandowski

   3. Viktor Gyökeres

   4. Vinícius Júnior

8. 

   Where in the world was this picture taken?

   1. Apia

   2. Cape Town

   3. Edinburgh

   4. Nairobi

9. England’s women’s cricket team are set to play a Test against which side in 2027, their first red-ball meeting since 1979?

   1. India

   2. Pakistan

   3. South Africa

   4. West Indies

10. Which city’s marathon has been elevated to ‘major’ status, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York?

    1. Beijing

    2. Dublin

    3. Hong Kong

    4. Sydney

11. Which football manager said it? ‘They didn’t tell me the whole truth because if they told me the whole truth, I wouldn’t have come.’

    1. Erik ten Hag

    2. José Mourinho

    3. Louis van Gaal

    4. Rúben Amorim

12. In snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated the women’s world No 1, Mink Nutcharut, 6-3 at the International Championship in Nanjing. Why was the start of the match delayed?

    1. A wasps’ nest had to be removed from the roof

    2. O’Sullivan dropped his cue and had to find a replacement

    3. The venue was dangerously overcrowded

    4. Humidity made the match table unplayable

13. Jude McAtamney made his NFL debut on Sunday as a kicker for the New York Giants. What sport did he play growing up?

    1. Aussie Rules football

    2. Gaelic football

    3. Lacrosse

    4. Rugby union

14. This year’s ATP Finals will be the first not to feature one of the ‘big three’ – Federer, Nadal and Djokovic – since 2001. Who won it that year?

    1. Andre Agassi

    2. Gustavo Kuerten

    3. Lleyton Hewitt

    4. Sebastian Grosjean

15. On this day in 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson oversaw his first match in charge of Manchester United, a 2-0 away defeat to … ?

    1. Liverpool

    2. Manchester City

    3. Oxford United

    4. Southampton

Solutions

1:B – Fabien Galthié’s side won 15-13 at an empty Aviva Stadium in the 2021 Six Nations., 2:D – In their previous 21 meetings, City had won 19 with a goalless draws in 1999 (in the third tier) and a 3-3 draw in 1989 (in Division Two) the only points Bournemouth managed to pick up., 3:C – The 2022 winner split from her coach of five years, Stefano Vukov, before the US Open but will work with Novak Djokovic’s former coach from January., 4:A – The celebration earned him a penalty flag in IWC’s Southland Conference game, but was quickly copied by NFL stars, including Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown., 5:A – The Brazilian started the 2000 German GP in 18th but after an early Schumacher crash and a track invader, Barrichello was able to charge through the field. In 1983, Northern Ireland’s John Watson won the US West GP from 22nd place on a 28-car grid., 6:B – In the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter have lost all six games, with only bonus points keeping them off the bottom. Meanwhile, their women’s team have won five out of five so far this season., 7:D – The Real Madrid forward has scored four goals; Kane, Gyökeres, Lewandowski and his Barça teammate Raphinha have all scored five., 8:B – Prince William played rugby against local school children during his visit to Cape Town, where he will attend the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony., 9:D – The Windies women’s team haven’t played a Test match since 2004 and last faced England on a three-Test tour in 1979. This time, the West Indies will host., 10:D – A legacy event from the 2000 Olympics, Sydney’s marathon has surged in popularity since 2022 when the finish was moved to the city’s Opera House., 11:B – It’s Mourinho, of course, but he’s not talking about United – just having another dig at refereeing standards in Turkey after Fenerbahçe’s win over Trabzonspor., 12:C – The afternoon session featuring O’Sullivan and Nutcharut was delayed by more than an hour with fans flocking into the arena., 13:B – McAtamney has represented Derry up to U20 level in GAA, but has earned a roster place through the NFL’s international pathway – and is currently using Eli Manning’s old locker., 14:C – All four players featured in what was then the Masters Cup, with Hewitt beating Grosjean in a best-of-five-sets final in Sydney., 15:C – Defeat at the Manor Ground was an ignominious start but Ferguson was able to haul United away from relegation trouble as Everton romped to the title. Different times.

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   Thanks for playing, and enjoy your weekend