The 49ers are refreshed in Australia and preparing for the opener vs. the Rams

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Cite

The Associated Press. (2026, September 7). The 49ers are refreshed in Australia and preparing for the opener vs. the Rams. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/the-49ers-are-refreshed-in-australia-and-preparing-for-the-opener-vs-the-rams/article_6f8cb622-fea1-5bac-92b2-74a781cdbfe4.html

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

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-07 · by The Associated Press

Quick Summary

The San Francisco 49ers have arrived in Melbourne, Australia, where they will play their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Friday. The team left California last Wednesday and had a day to explore the city before returning for practice at AAMI Park on Monday. Coach Kyle Shanahan stated that players were feeling "mostly refreshed" after adjusting to the time difference, while star running back Christian McCaffrey praised the experience, saying it's been "such a cool experience" with positive interactions from fans and locals alike. The Rams are still in California and won't arrive until Thursday, giving the 49ers a slight advantage in terms of preparation.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-07, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for a historic matchup in Australia, as part of the NFL's first-ever regular season game held outside North America. The teams will face off on Friday morning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia, with the Rams traveling from California specifically for the game. The 49ers, however, arrived earlier this week and have been acclimating to the local time zone. Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers has expressed confidence in his team's preparation and is expecting a strong performance against their divisional rivals.

Rams coach Sean McVay also announced that his team's entire roster will travel to Australia for the game, but there is still some uncertainty surrounding the playing status of defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who only recently returned from retirement. Despite this, McVay expressed confidence in his team's preparation and has said that Donald will be a key player if he does participate.

The 49ers' decision to adjust their travel schedule and arrive earlier in Australia was initially met with skepticism by Shanahan, but he has since come to appreciate the experience of playing abroad. The game is expected to attract significant attention, including a halftime performance by singer Joe Jonas.

Written for “NFL Games in Australia” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 NFL Games in Australia
Sports · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 21 📰 publisher trust 63
“Both articles describe the upcoming regular-season opener between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.”
Both report
The upcoming regular-season opener between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia has both teams preparing for the game. The 49ers arrived in Australia earlier this week and are doing their full week of preparation on site, while the Rams are completing their final preparations at their training complex in Woodland Hills before flying to Australia.
This one adds
The Associated Press article states that the entire Rams roster will be traveling to Australia, but coach Sean McVay is still unsure if defensive tackle Aaron Donald will play. This detail is not mentioned in the other article.
The other adds
The other article provides more information on how the 49ers prepared for the game, stating that they arrived in Australia last Wednesday and had a mostly relaxed practice at AAMI Park on Monday. Additionally, it mentions that some players attended an Australian Football League game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Framing
Both articles report on the teams' preparations for the game with a sense of normalcy and certainty. However, the first article highlights the Rams' uncertainty regarding Aaron Donald's playing status, while the second article emphasizes the 49ers' relaxed approach to their preparation.
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 2 of 43 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles report on the San Francisco 49ers' preparation and arrival in Melbourne for their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Rams, with quotes from coach Kyle Shanahan.”
Both report
The San Francisco 49ers' preparation and arrival in Melbourne for their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Rams is reported on in both articles, with a focus on the team's adjustment to the local time zone and culture.
This one adds
The Sydney Morning Herald article includes quotes from coach Kyle Shanahan, specifically discussing the challenges of adjusting to the 17-hour time difference. The article also presents a more humorous anecdote from Shanahan about his confusion over the time difference.
The other adds
The Associated Press article provides additional details on the team's travel schedule and routine, including that players got a day to explore Melbourne before their first practice at AAMI Park. It also mentions that some players attended an Australian Football League game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where they will face the Rams in the opening game.
Framing
The Sydney Morning Herald article frames the 49ers' experience in Melbourne as one of cultural adaptation, with a focus on the challenges and humor involved in adjusting to the local environment. In contrast, The Associated Press article presents a more straightforward report on the team's preparation and arrival, without the same level of commentary or emphasis on cultural differences.
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 4 📰 publisher trust 66
“Article A focuses on the teams' preparations and schedule leading up to the game, while Article B reports on the actual game itself”
Toronto Star
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 21% hedged 4 of 19 📰 publisher trust 63
“Article A describes the 49ers' arrival and preparation in Australia, while Article B discusses the Rams' travel plans, indicating two separate news articles about different teams at the same event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
38
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 38 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
63/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 8988 article(s) · 24 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 24 correction(s)
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

The Associated Press
1424 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 While China’s routines lack the difficulty of the U.S.‘s on floor, it avoided any major miscues that would have allowed the Americans to maintain their spot atop the sport.
🔮 But in this case, pretty much the message was this: If you guys can’t figure it out, we will help you figure it out.
🔮 But that didn’t translate to many wins, and the team’s lack of progress early this season means another coach will work with Washington at Maryland — if the Terps can keep him.
🔮 Lander, who was endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in a primary for New York’s 10th congressional district.
🔮 Harbaugh and players are expected to address the situation after practice this afternoon.
🔮 “If we don’t win a championship while I’m here, I’m sure that will be a frontline story of it all and how people think of me and how a fanbase reacts,” Boone said.
🔮 This individual’s actions did not reflect those values or meet our standards and will not be tolerated.
🔮 The FSB's allegations could not be independently verified.
🔮 Milan said that it would push for a league-wide cap on excessive away ticket prices but, in the meantime, could hit back at clubs it feels are overcharging its fans. “We are also prepared to introduce a policy of reciprocity: clubs charging our supporters above average ticket pricing should expect their own fans to face higher prices when visiting San Siro, subject to applicable regulations,” Milan said.
🔮 A limited number of Saudi airlines took off and landed at the country’s main airport on Wednesday, two days after authorities notified airlines that they could resume operations with prior permission.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by The Associated Press
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 1424 articles by The Associated Press →

Topics

49ers Australia California MELBOURNE Rams

Subjects

Australia GPE · 7× 49ers ORG · 5× Rams ORG · 5× Shanahan PERSON · 4× California GPE · 3× MELBOURNE GPE · 3× Niners ORG · 2× San Francisco GPE · 2× The San Francisco 49ers ORG · 1× the Los Angeles Rams ORG · 1×

Narrative

The Niners left California last Wednesday, arrived in Australia on Friday and were set for their first practice of game week on Monday at AAMI Park in Melbourne feeling mostly refreshed after players got a day to explore the city.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-07
🔮 ” Some players went to an Australian Football League game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the 49ers will face the Rams in the first NFL regular season game ever played in the country.

Claims (38 extracted, 0 hedged)

The San Francisco 49ers have arrived in Australia, mostly gotten over the impact of the long flight and now are getting prepared to open their season Friday in Melbourne against the Los Angeles Rams. asserted
49ers → arrive → Rams
The Niners left California last Wednesday, arrived in Australia on Friday and were set for their first practice of game week on Monday at AAMI Park in Melbourne feeling mostly refreshed after players got a day to explore the city. asserted
players → leave → city
The Rams are still back home and won’t arrive until Thursday. asserted
Rams → arrive → Thursday
“It took a couple days to adjust but feeling real good today,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. asserted
Shanahan → take → days
“Most of the city I’ve seen out of my window, I’ve gotten to go on one walk. asserted
I → see → walk
It’s a little different for coaches. asserted
It → ’ → coaches
We’re in the season so we’re not out much. asserted
we → ’re → season
But players had yesterday off so I know they got out a little bit and they’ve spoken very highly of everything. asserted
they → have → everything
” Some players went to an Australian Football League game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the 49ers will face the Rams in the first NFL regular season game ever played in the country. asserted
49ers → go → country
Star running back Christian McCaffrey didn’t make it to the game but heard positive reports from his teammates. asserted
McCaffrey → make → teammates
He has enjoyed his time here so far and is glad the team got to make this long trip. asserted
team → enjoy → trip
He said the instructions from the team’s training staff made sure that the jet lag wasn’t a big factor with the main issue just being cooped up on a plane for so long. asserted
issue → say → plane
But now he’s refreshed and ready to play. asserted
he → ’ → ?
“We’re fired up, man,” he said. asserted
he → fire → ?
Obviously, there’s a lot of question marks when you hear you’re playing in Australia, but since we’ve been here, man, it’s been so cool. asserted
it → ’ → Australia
The food’s incredible. asserted
food → ’ → ?
The coffee’s great. asserted
coffee → ’ → ?
The atmosphere, you can already feel it. asserted
you → feel → it
It’s just been a lot fun, so we’re super fired up we’re here.” asserted
we → ’re → ?
Shanahan wasn’t so excited when it was first announced that San Francisco was opening the season here instead of playing the Rams in a much shorter trip to Los Angeles in front of what is usually a partisan 49ers crowd. asserted
what → announce → front
But his view has changed a bit after making the trip and hearing how many 49ers supporters are expected at the game. asserted
supporters → change → game
“That was nothing against Australia or anything, that’s just about competition and how important our 17 games are,” he said. asserted
he → ’ → competition
“It’s cool for us just we always have an advantage of having one, I see it as one home game a year in L.A., just the way our fans are and take over that stadium. asserted
fans → ’ → stadium
So it was disappointing to let them off the hook and get them out of that. asserted
it → let → that
Knowing how our fans roll, I have a feeling they won’t be much different here. asserted
they → know → feeling
I expect to have a good showing. ... asserted
I → expect → showing
After being here for a couple days like this is the right time to be here it’s the right place to be and it’s right team to go against.” asserted
it → ’ → days
No injury updates for the 49ers San Francisco held its first full practice of the week Monday in Australia, which was still Sunday night back in California. asserted
which → hold → California
Shanahan typically gives an injury update on the first practice day of a game week but opted against it because the Rams don’t have to do it until they practice on Monday in California, which will be Tuesday in Australia. asserted
which → give → Australia
So any updates on the status of players like tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa will have to wait. asserted
updates → have → Kittle
“Because we’re technically in the future, from where we’re from, and the Rams are in the present, I don’t have to talk about injuries until tomorrow. asserted
I → ’re → tomorrow
,” Shanahan said. asserted
Shanahan → say → ?
“So I’m not talking about them.” asserted
I → talk → them
The one notable injury update Shanahan did give was that defensive end Sam Okuayinonu broke his foot at the team’s last practice before leaving on Wednesday. asserted
Okuayinonu → give → Wednesday
He was placed on injured reserve and will miss most of the season. asserted
He → place → season
The 49ers keep the same captains asserted
49ers → keep → captains
The Niners kept the same eight captains for the season that they had last year. asserted
they → keep → that
Quarterback Brock Purdy will be joined by McCaffrey, Kittle, Bosa, Kyle Juszczyk, Trent Williams, Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir. asserted
Purdy → join → McCaffrey
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