Lae Rugby League Oval
Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea
Lae Rugby League Oval, Lae, Papua New Guinea — opened Not confirmed, 11 rugby league games hosted, home of Lae Bombers (PNG National Rugby League franchise, Morobe Province; also known as Lae LBC Bombers from 2006).
Sourcing caveat: Opening date, capacity, floodlight status and playing surface could not be confirmed.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not confirmed (Distinct from the similarly-named Danny Leahy Oval in Goroka, a different PNG venue in a different province — not to be confused.) |
| Home club | Lae Bombers (PNG National Rugby League franchise, Morobe Province; also known as Lae LBC Bombers from 2006) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 11 |
| Top recorded crowd | 16,528 |
| Capacity | Not confirmed |
| Test matches hosted | 5 |
| Surface | Not confirmed |
| First rugby league match | 24 May 1988 — Highlands Zone 18-36 Great Britain (Lions tour); an earlier 1986 fixture against a touring New Zealand side was scheduled but cancelled |
| Years used | 1986–2018 |
| Location | Lae, Morobe |
Name history
- Lae Rugby League Oval — used throughout, per this site's venue data
Rugby league history
A significant venue in Papua New Guinean rugby league history despite thin biographical detail on the ground itself — having hosted a run of full international touring matches against Great Britain, Australia, France and New Zealand across the late 1980s and 1990s, a full PNG Test against Tonga (2018), the PNG Prime Minister's XIII fixture (2011), and a Queensland Cup match (2018). Home ground of the Lae Bombers PNGNRL franchise.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 1990 — Northern/Highlands 10-24 Great Britain (Lions tour)
- 1991 — Northern Zone 6-40 Australia (Kangaroos tour)
- 1994 — Northern Zone 2-34 New Zealand (Kiwis tour)
- 1996 — Papua New Guinea 30-32 Great Britain (Lions tour)
- 2018 — Papua New Guinea 32-18 Tonga
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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