Chips down in battle for rugby cards

DONNA PAGET/Waikato Times

KEEN COLLECTORS: Card collectors, from left, Mitchell Whelan, eighth, Isaac Te Tamaki, 13, Max Moody, 12, Rylee Capteim, 12, Scott Peden, seven and Corban Hall, seven.

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Forget marbles, yo-yos and spinning tops Super 14 rugby trading cards are the newest craze sweeping Waikato playgrounds.

The 2008 Rugby Superstars range of trading cards, which are found in specially marked packs of Bluebird chips, are becoming the most highly prized item for youngsters and adults alike.

The cards feature players from each of the five New Zealand Super 14 franchise teams and include the players' statistics and photographs.

There are 50 regular cards to collect, as well as another set of 50 special gold cards.

The craze has produced a significant increase in sales for Bluebird.

Corban Hall, seven, can't wait to check out the player stats when he gets his hands on a new card.

"I like reading the back and finding out how old they are, and how many games they played," Corban said.

Mitchell Whelan, eight, loves "swapping cards with his friends" the most, and his favourite card is Lucky Mulipola. "The cards are fun to collect and the chips are nice to eat," he said.

Andrew Whelan, Mitchell's father, can see the positives of the trading cards, but is quick to remind his son of the importance of a healthy diet.

"It's all about learning to give and take, and the trading creates a really good, friendly banter between Mitchell and his mates," he said.

"We use the chips as treat. It's important to balance them with a good diet and discretionary spending."

Chiefs marketing manager Pat Mellsop said he was not surprised at the interest levels.

"From the start of the season, we were expecting these cards to be bigger than Ben Hur," Mr Mellsop said.

"This has definitely been confirmed. The players are heroes to these kids."

The cards are even generating interest from adults, with one full set of gold cards selling on TradeMe for $199.

The most highly sought-after card is a rare misprint of former Chiefs lock Keith Robinson, with one card fetching $160 in a bid that closed on April 18.

The craze has its darker side, however.

A nine-year-old Wellington boy had a knife held to his throat on Monday during an altercation about a trading card.

A 14-year-old boy has since turned himself into police.

At least one Hamilton school has asked students not to bring the cards to class.

The New Zealand Rugby Union said it was concerned about Monday's knife incident and it will review whether or not it should take part in similar promotions in the future.

Rugby union spokesman Brent Anderson hoped the attack was an isolated incident and would not stop fans from continuing to enjoy the promotion.

Bluebird declined to comment but a spokeswoman said a statement would not be issued until Monday. 

- Ben Stanley is a Wintec journalism student.

- © Fairfax NZ News