Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s almost like you try and do the \u2018Men in Black\u2019 thing, where you say \u2018alright, hey I don\u2019t remember what happened\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNot because it wasn\u2019t a great atmosphere. That will get taken out of context.<\/p>\n \u201cBottom line is I like the way that I feel of our preparation, eyes moving forward, chest out, chin up, eyes forward and let\u2019s go be about it.\u201d<\/p>\n McVay\u2019s comments come after San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan implied he also wouldn\u2019t like to play in Australia again.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n McVay\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n By game time, Los Angeles didn\u2019t live up to their Super Bowl contender status at all, looking sluggish as they only scored one touchdown.
<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe that\u2019s why we didn\u2019t play well enough, I really don\u2019t,\u201d McVay said immediately after the loss last Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cI will always make decisions that I think are best for the football team and it\u2019s easy in hindsight to be able to say that it was a miss.
<\/p>\n \u201cBut those are the responsibilities that I will take, and then you try to look at it.
<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll always look at myself inside out and figure out where I can try to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n McVay felt the Rams let down their local supporters.<\/p>\n \u201cI apologise for not putting on a better performance,\u201d McVay said.
<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an amazing atmosphere and you could just feel there was a buzz even when we got in.
<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately it wasn\u2019t a good day for us but you could definitely feel the fans and we\u2019re very appreciative of that.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have recommended going out early,\u201d the offensive lineman said earlier in the week.<\/p>\n \u201cThe flight is so long that I don\u2019t think 24 hours is enough to wash out that flight itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Australian punter Jeremy Crawshaw of the Denver Broncos also advised against travelling so soon before the clash.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time I\u2019ve done that (fly to or from Australia), I\u2019ve been wrecked for a couple of days, whether it be jet lag or the body just not feeling right,\u201d Crawshaw said.<\/p>\n \u201cJet lag is the least of their worries. Their joints are probably sore, their legs are swelling from being at altitude for 15 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 with AP<\/p>\n![\"Rival](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c337f69b221e371caf228ac2ee499ab88bfa5365.jpg\")
Rival NFL coaches Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are both hoping to avoid having to play in Australia in the future. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4381e52c1f402541b3952548a386c8d1d2cb3caf.jpg\")
The 49ers looked much more at home in Melbourne than the Rams ahead of and during the game. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n