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They arrived at the 11th hour and lost dismally. Now the LA Rams say they never want to play in Australia again

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Cite

Tan, S. (2026, September 18). They arrived at the 11th hour and lost dismally. Now the LA Rams say they never want to play in Australia again. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/they-arrived-at-the-11th-hour-and-lost-dismally-now-the-la-rams-say-they-never-want-to-play-in-australia-again-20260918-p60yms.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-09-18 · by Sebastian Tan

Quick Summary

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay expressed his desire to never play in Australia again after the team's poor performance against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, resulting in a 27-7 loss. The Rams arrived just one day before the game, unlike the 49ers who had been in Melbourne for several days interacting with fans, which may have contributed to the disparity in player readiness and fan support. Despite initial statements about being excited for the game, McVay now criticizes the late arrival schedule due to jet lag and lack of preparation time, affecting the team's performance on the field.
Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Los Angeles Rams suffered a humiliating 27-7 loss to their arch-rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in Melbourne, Australia. Despite an enthusiastic crowd of 18.5 million US viewers and initial claims that they were excited about playing Down Under, coach Sean McVay now hopes his team never has to play in Australia again. The defeat was attributed partly to jet lag, as the Rams appeared lethargic and their offense struggled mightily, scoring only seven points compared to 30.5 per game last season. Meanwhile, the 49ers emerged with answers to some of their biggest questions, showing strong defensive pressure and solid play from quarterback Brock Purdy despite initial uncertainties about his readiness. The Rams now face another tough matchup against the New York Giants as they attempt to recover from their disastrous start in Melbourne.

Written for “NFL Season Developments” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 NFL Season Developments
Sports · 7 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
LA Rams coach hopes his NFL team never plays in Australia again Same event
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 68/100
Rams’ Sean McVay wants no part of playing in Australia ‘ever again’ Same event
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 27 claims Outlet record 66/100
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New York Post
Hedges 4 of 64 claims Outlet record 66/100
How Rams plan to make Australia distant memory Same event
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Hedges 0 of 52 claims Outlet record 66/100
That NFL match actually cost double previous estimates. But the jubilation made it worth it Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 2 of 74 claims Outlet record 61/100
Sean McVay takes hilarious jab at ‘dumbass coach’ after Giants shellacking Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the Rams' loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, while Article B discusses the Rams' victory over the New York Giants after returning from Australia.”
Kyle Shanahan defends Sean McVay’s blunder on 49ers-Rams opening season in Australia Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes coach McVay's reaction after a loss, while Article B focuses on Shanahan defending McVay's comments about playing in Australia.”
Gambles by Matt LaFleur and Sean McVay backfire on the NFL's opening weekend Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 4 of 46 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss the Rams' loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, ARTICLE B focuses on the aftermath and McVay's reaction a few days later, not the same specific game-day incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
1 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
7
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Sebastian Tan
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Finefeuiaki was also off-contract at the end of the 2027 season, meaning the second-rower would be free to negotiate with rival teams, including the tax-free PNG Chiefs on November 1.
2026-09-18 · assertive framing · Double delight as Dolphins land two more big fish
🔮 That will get taken out of context.”
2026-09-18 · assertive framing · They arrived at the 11th hour and lost dismally. Now the LA Rams say they never want to play in Australia again
Also by Sebastian Tan
Double delight as Dolphins land two more big fish
2026-09-18 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Australia Los Angeles Melbourne NFL Rams

Subjects

Australia GPE · 7× Los Angeles GPE · 3× McVay PERSON · 3× Rams ORG · 3× Melbourne GPE · 2× NFL ORG · 2× San Francisco GPE · 2× Kyle Shanahan PERSON · 1× Sean McVay PERSON · 1× the San Francisco 49ers ORG · 1×

Narrative

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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-18
🔮 That will get taken out of context.”
2026-09-18 · The Sydney Morning Herald
They arrived at the 11th hour and lost dismally. Now the LA Rams say they never want to play in Australia again · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 1 hedged)

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. asserted
team → hop → 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. asserted
NFL → stick → hometown
“We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope,” he said. asserted
he → play → Australia
That will get taken out of context.” asserted
That → take → 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. asserted
NFL → come → 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. uncertain
they → remain → 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. asserted
who → make → 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. asserted
they → live → 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. asserted
they → meet → cheers
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. asserted
that → play → Australia
“I would have recommended going out early,” the offensive lineman said earlier in the week. asserted
lineman → recommend → week
“The flight is so long that I don’t think 24 hours is enough to wash out that flight itself.” asserted
hours → think → flight
Australian punter Jeremy Crawshaw of the Denver Broncos also advised against travelling so soon before the clash. asserted
Crawshaw → advise → 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. asserted
Crawshaw → do → days
Their joints are probably sore, their legs are swelling from being at altitude for 15 hours.” AAP/AP News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. asserted
legs → swell → sport
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