True colours revealed as Rams NFL coach Sean McVay rips Melbourne game

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.

But a week on, McVay revealed his true stance on the NFL deciding to host a game about 12,700km away from his hometown.

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“It’s almost like you try and do the ‘Men in Black’ thing, where you say ‘alright, hey I don’t remember what happened’,” he said.

“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.

“Bottom line is I like the way that I feel of our preparation, eyes moving forward, chest out, chin up, eyes forward and let’s go be about it.”

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.

Rival NFL coaches Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are both hoping to avoid having to play in Australia in the future. Credit: Getty

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 also made a last-ditch journey 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.

“I don’t believe that’s why we didn’t play well enough, I really don’t,” McVay said immediately after the loss last Friday.

“I will always make decisions that I think are best for the football team and it’s easy in hindsight to be able to say that it was a miss.

“But those are the responsibilities that I will take, and then you try to look at it.

“I’ll always look at myself inside out and figure out where I can try to improve.”

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.

The 49ers looked much more at home in Melbourne than the Rams ahead of and during the game. Credit: AAP

McVay felt the Rams let down their local supporters.

“I apologise for not putting on a better performance,” McVay said.

“It was an amazing atmosphere and you could just feel there was a buzz even when we got in.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t a good day for us but you could definitely feel the fans and we’re very appreciative of that.”

Sydneysider Jordan Mailata, who plays for Philadelphia and was part of the 2025 Super Bowl-winning team, had some advice for the next club that plays Down Under.

“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.”

— with AP