Rotorua International Stadium

"The Hangi Pit"

Location| Devon Street West, Rotorua, New Zealand
Coordinates| 38°9′21″S 176°13′27″E﻿ / ﻿38.15583°S 176.22417°E﻿ / -38.15583; 176.22417
Capacity| Rugby: 26,000
Concerts: 30,000
Construction
Built| 1911
Tenants
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
Rotorua United
Chiefs

Rotorua International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located on Devon Street West in the Westbrook suburb of Rotorua, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union and rugby league matches, being one of three home stadiums for the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union (the others being Baypark Stadium and Tauranga Domain in Tauranga).

In addition, a softball field is sited at the northern end.

The stadium has a capacity of 26,000 people. The stadium was originally built in 1911, and renovated several times since. The stadium features a covered stand seating up to 5,000 with a concrete seating area on the western side of the field.

In rugby union the stadium has been used for the 1987 Rugby World Cup 3rd/4th playoff, Test matches and British and Irish Lions tours matches. To many it is considered the rightful home of Bay of Plenty rugby, despite the recent majority of home matches being scheduled in Tauranga.

Rotorua International Stadium has hosted four rugby league Test matches. The first, held on 16 July 1989 saw the Wally Lewis led Australians defeat New Zealand 8–0 in front of 26,000 fans.[1] This remains the highest attendance at the venue for any sport. The second Test was held seven years later when New Zealand defeated Papua New Guinea 62–8 in front of only 4,800 fans on 5 October 1996. The last rugby league international held at the venue as of 2020 was when the Kiwis defeated the PNG Kumuls 76–12 in front of 6,000 fans. This match was played as part of the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament.

The stadium hosted three matches of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The first game on 10 September saw Fiji defeat Namibia 49–25 in front of 10,100. Game two saw Samoa defeat Namibia 49–12 in front of 12,752 fans, while the final game at the stadium saw Ireland defeat Russia 62–12 in front of 25,661 fans.

In 2023 the stadium will host the annual NRL pre season NRL All Stars match

## Rugby league test matches

[edit]

List of rugby league test and World Cup matches played at Rotorua International Stadium.[2]

Test# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes

|
|
|
|

1 | 16 July 1989 | Australia def.  New Zealand 8–0 | 26,000 | Played as part of the 1989 Trans-Tasman Test series
2 | 5 October 1996 | New Zealand  def.  Papua New Guinea 62–8 | 4,800 |
3 | 14 October 2009 | New Zealand  def.  Tonga 42–24 | 8,000 |
4 | 30 October 2010 | New Zealand  def.  Papua New Guinea 76–12 | 6,000 | Played as part of the 2010 Four Nations

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Australians keep Kiwis scoreless in rugby league". The Age. Australia. 17 July 1989. p. 32. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
2. ^ "Rotorua International Stadium". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 31 May 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* "Rotorua International Stadium". eventvenues.co.nz. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010.

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Venues of the 1987 Rugby World Cup

New Zealand|

* Athletic Park (Wellington)
* Carisbrook (Dunedin)
* Eden Park (Auckland)
* Lancaster Park (Christchurch)
* McLean Park (Napier)
* Rotorua International Stadium (Rotorua)
* Rugby Park Stadium (Invercargill)
* Rugby Park (Hamilton)
* The Showgrounds Oval (Palmerston North)

Australia|

* Ballymore Stadium (Brisbane)
* Concord Oval (Sydney)

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Venues of the 2011 Rugby World Cup

* Eden Park (Auckland)
* Wellington Regional Stadium (Wellington)
* Otago Stadium (Dunedin)
* North Harbour Stadium (Auckland)
* Waikato Stadium (Hamilton)
* Rotorua Int'l Stadium (Rotorua)
* Yarrow Stadium (New Plymouth)
* Trafalgar Park (Nelson)
* Rugby Park Stadium (Invercargill)
* Okara Park (Whangārei)
* McLean Park (Napier)
* Arena Manawatu (Palmerston North)

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Super Rugby stadiums

Australia|

* AAMI Park
* Allianz Stadium
* GIO Stadium
* HBF Park
* Suncorp Stadium

Fiji|

* Churchill Park
* HFC Bank Stadium

New Zealand|

* Apollo Projects Stadium
* Eden Park
* FMG Stadium Waikato
* Forsyth Barr Stadium
* Sky Stadium

Secondary stadiums (2024)|

* Central Energy Trust Arena
* Go Media Stadium
* North Harbour Stadium
* Semenoff Stadium
* Teufaiva Stadium

Former stadiums|

| Argentina|

* José Amalfitani Stadium

|

Australia|

* Allianz Stadium
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney
* Ballymore
* Brookvale Oval
* Cbus Super Stadium
* CommBank Stadium
* Leichhardt Oval
* Mars Stadium
* McDonald Jones Stadium
* Manuka Oval
* Queensland Country Bank Stadium
* Subiaco Oval
* Sunshine Coast Stadium
* Sydney Cricket Ground
* Willows Sports Complex
* WIN Stadium

England|

* Twickenham Stadium

Hong Kong|

* Mong Kok Stadium

Japan|

* Level5 Stadium
* Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium

New Zealand|

* Alpine Energy Stadium
* AMI Stadium
* Athletic Park
* Baypark Stadium
* Carisbrook
* ECOLight Stadium
* McLean Park
* Owen Delany Park
* Queenstown Events Centre
* Rotorua International Stadium
* Rugby Park
* Tauranga Domain
* Trafalgar Park
* Wakatipu Rugby Club
* Yarrow Stadium

Samoa|

* Apia Park

Singapore|

* National Stadium

South Africa|

* Boet Erasmus Stadium
* Boland Stadium
* Bosman Stadium
* Buffalo City Stadium
* DHL Newlands
* Emirates Airline Park
* Jonsson Kings Park
* Loftus Versfeld
* Mbombela Stadium
* Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
* North West Stadium
* Outeniqua Park
* Orlando Stadium
* Puma Stadium
* Tafel Lager Park
* Toyota Stadium

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