Sebastian Tan
Los Angeles coach Sean McVay hopes the Rams never have to play in Australia again after his team suffered a dismal loss to their bitter rivals in Melbourne.
The coach had stuck to the script during his team’s whirlwind tour Down Under, which culminated in a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, insisting the team was “excited” and “looking forward” to last Friday’s clash, which drew an average audience of 18.5 million viewers in the US.
But a week on, McVay revealed his true stance on the NFL deciding to host a game about 12,700 kilometres away from his hometown.
“We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope,” he said.
“Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere. That will get taken out of context.”
McVay’s comments come after San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan implied he also wouldn’t like to play in Australia again.
But the country will host more games in the future as the NFL has struck a multi-year deal with Victoria to play two matches with an option for a third.
It remains unclear whether the Rams will feature in the next edition, although the Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles are likely to take the field, as they share marketing rights with the Los Angeles club in Australia.
McVay’s side made their journey to Australia at the 11th hour, touching down in Melbourne about 24 hours before the match, unlike the 49ers who had been there all week interacting with fans and taking in the local atmosphere.
By game time, Los Angeles didn’t live up to their Super Bowl-contender status at all, looking sluggish as they only scored one touchdown.
San Francisco were also the more popular team in front of the 100,021 spectators at the MCG, as the Rams were met with a mixed chorus of cheers and boos when they ran out.
Sydneysider Jordan Mailata, who plays for Philadelphia and was part of the 2025 Super Bowl-winning team, had some advice for the next clubs that play in Australia.
“I would have recommended going out early,” the offensive lineman said earlier in the week.
“The flight is so long that I don’t think 24 hours is enough to wash out that flight itself.”
Australian punter Jeremy Crawshaw of the Denver Broncos also advised against travelling so soon before the clash.
“Every time I’ve done that (fly to or from Australia), I’ve been wrecked for a couple of days, whether it be jet lag or the body just not feeling right,” Crawshaw said.
“Jet lag is the least of their worries. Their joints are probably sore, their legs are swelling from being at altitude for 15 hours.”
AAP/AP
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