Vein's lack of confidence in the Canadian team is the outer expression of his fear.
Your external nonchalance will not shield you from the speedy defeat which you are sure to suffer at the hands of the yak herders.
Do not misconstrue that which was said as something it was not.
I never once doubted the skill the 'Canadian yak herders' can display, rather I simply assuring you that your over confidence is misplaced. No matter how much these canadians try, their constant attempt at reassure themselves are meaningless if they are only try to blind themselves from the truth.
The fact that they keep insisting that they can win shows how much effort they are putting into convincing each other that all hope is not indeed lost.