invincibilities, new coaches and “the whole truth”

Tammy Beaumont of England, Irish Rugby Union team, Alex Ferguson in 1986.Composite: Getty Images

1. Ireland host New Zealand this evening in a major rugby union autumn international in Dublin. In the Andy Farrell era, who was 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-match unbeaten run was ended by Bournemouth. Saturday’s 2-1 victory was the Cherries’ first victory against City since…?

   1. 2009

   2. 1999

   3. 1989

   4. It was their first ever victory against City

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

   1. Ashleigh Barty

   2. Carlos Alcaraz

   3. Elena Rybakina

   4. Jannik sinner

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

   1. Its free “bowling” handstand celebration

   2. He was suspended by his Texas school for supporting 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 is at the top of the Premiership Women’s Rugby table but without a victory in the men’s elite?

   1. Bristol

   2. Exeter

   3. Leicester

   4. Sale

7. The Champions League is halfway through its “championship phase”. Which of these players is not part of the quartet of top scorers (with five goals each)?

   1. Harry Kane

   2. Robert Lewandowski

   3. Viktor Gyökeres

   4. Vinicius Junior

8. 

   Where in the world was this photo taken?

   1. Apia

   2. Cape Town

   3. Edinburgh

   4. Nairobi

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

   1. India

   2. Pakistan

   3. South Africa

   4. West Indies

10. In which city was the marathon elevated to the status of “major”, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York?

    1. Beijing

    2. Dublin

    3. Hong Kong

    4. Sydney

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

    1. Erik Ten Hag

    2. Jose Mourinho

    3. Louis van Gaal

    4. Ruben Amorim

12. In snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan beat women’s world number 1 Mink Nutcharut 6-3 at the Nanjing International Championship. Why was the start of the match delayed?

    1. A wasp nest had to be removed from the roof

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

    3. The room was dangerously overcrowded

    4. The 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. Australian rules football

    2. Gaelic football

    3. Lacrosse

    4. Rugby Federation

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 Kurten

    3. Lleyton Hewitt

    4. Sébastien 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 draw in 1999 (in the Third Division) and a 3-3 draw in 1989 (in Division 2), the only points Bournemouth managed to collect., 3: C – The 2022 winner parted ways with his coach of five years, Stefano Vukov, ahead of the US Open, but will work with Novak Djokovic’s former coach from January. 4:A – The celebration earned him a penalty in the IWC Southland Conference game, but was quickly copied by the NFL. stars, including Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown., 5:A – The Brazilian started the 2000 German GP in 18th position, but after an early crash from Schumacher and a track invader, Barrichello was able to to charge across the field. In 1983, Northern Irishman John Watson won the US West GP from 22nd place on a 28-car grid., 6:B – In the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter lost all six games, only bonus points keeping them far from the bottom. Meanwhile, their women’s team has won five out of five this season.,7:D – The Real Madrid striker has scored four goals; Kane, Gyökeres, Lewandowski and Barça teammate Raphinha all scored five.,8:B – Prince William played rugby against local schoolchildren during his visit to Cape Town, where he will attend the awards ceremony Earthshot., 9:D – The Windies women’s team have not played a Test match since 2004 and last faced England on a three-Test tour in 1979. This time the West Indies will be the hosts., 10:D – A legacy event from the 2000 Olympics, the Sydney Marathon has grown 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, he’s just taking another dig at refereeing standards in Turkey after Fenerbahce’s victory over Trabzonspor., 12:C – The afternoon session with O’Sullivan and Nutcharut was delayed by over an hour with fans streaming into the arena., 13:B – McAtamney represented Derry until ‘at U20 level in GAA, but earned a place on the roster through the NFL’s international journey – and is currently using Eli Manning’s old locker., 14: C – Les four players competed 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 managed to put United away from the relegation problems as Everton raced towards the title. Different times.

Sheet music

1. 0 and above.

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