‘Never again’: Rams coach scolded after failed Aussie trip
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Sean McVay has declared he doesn’t want the Los Angeles Rams to play an NFL game in Australia again after last week’s failed trip.
The comments from the Rams head coach have gone down like a lead balloon.
Sean McVay speaks after the Melbourne game. AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
McVay’s team were outgunned in their first game of the season last week in front of 100,000 fans at the MCG, going down 27-7 against the San Francisco 49ers.
It was a dour way to start the season for the Rams, who were boosted by the off-season addition of Myles Garrett and the return of team legend Aaron Donald.
To make matters worse, Garrett suffered a knee injury, while Donald didn’t even make the trip to Australia as he prepares to come out of retirement.
Speaking to media on Friday (AEST), McVay said his team would try and erase the Aussie experience from their memories and hoped to not do it again.
“It’s almost like you try and do the Men In Black thing where you don’t remember what happened, that was so long ago,” he said.
“We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope.
“Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere, that will get taken out of context – but bottom line is, I like the way I feel with our preparation moving forward.”
McVay, who is regarded as one of the NFL’s elite coaches, was criticised for the way the Rams handled the game, only arriving in Melbourne a day before kick off.
Compare that to the 49ers, who were on the ground in the Aussie city for an entire week, getting amongst the community and promoting the sport, leading to them receiving a more positive reaction than their rivals last week.
In fact, the Rams – along with Jordan Mailata’s Philadelphia Eagles – are one of the two NFL franchises with a direct association and partnership with Australia.
It’s expected the Eagles will play a game Down Under in coming seasons, while the Las Vegas Raiders are also growing their footprint in Australia.
The partnership between the Rams and Australia has now clearly been soured, with McVay’s comments were scolded on social media by fans and journalists.
McVay’s men will look to get their 2026 season on track against the New York Giants on Tuesday morning (AEST).
Popular NFL content creator Tiffany Krylov labelled the comment from McVay as a “shitty throwaway line” and urged him to “be better”.
“You chose to fly in late. You made the call you thought was best for your team. It didn’t work. You got beaten and to your credit, you’ve owned your responsibility in that,” Krylov said via Instagram.
“But “we’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope” is a shitty throwaway line when your organisation has worked so hard to build something here.
“You’re the face of that organisation. You’ve gotta be better than that.
Australian, please don’t write off the Rams because of one comment. They’re a great organisation, they’ve genuinely invested in this country, their players were bloody lovely while they were here and they’re a fun team to watch.”
