Fresh from their opening day exploits at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2010, players from New Zealand, England, USA and Canada descended upon a small corner of south west London with the intention of inspiring the next generation of World Cup stars.
The visit was part of the Rugby Football Union for Women's (RFUW) legacy programme, which is designed to ensure a lasting impact from the World Cup on the Women's Game in England with Richmond RFC the setting for one group of lucky girls to meet some of their heroes, as well as pick up some valuable coaching tips.
Saturday's visit was the first of several legacy events planned for post-match days during the Women's Rugby World Cup, and follows on from the RFUW's legacy work in the build up to the 17-day tournament.
The third and final stage of the programme gets underway once the small matter of crowning the next world champions is resolved at the Twickenham Stoop on September 5.
The RFUW's Legacy Events Officer Mel Liley summed up the importance of such events and the World Cup in showing that women not only play rugby, but play it really well.
Amazing
"Today was amazing; the girls got to meet and be coached by international players in a really informal, comfortable setting and I hope they take a lot from the day," she said.
"There's a massive motivational and inspirational aspect when they meet international players. These are World Cup players and it's amazing for the girls to get to meet them, and aspire to get to that level.
"The World Cup offers us the chance to take an international tournament to children who may not naturally hear about rugby in their normal environment."
Maggie Alphonsi and Sophie Hemming from England, USA's Maurin Wallace and Lynelle Kugler, Canada's Julia Sugawara and Brooke Hilditch, and New Zealand's Trisha Hina, Linda Itunu and Fiao'o Fa'amausili all gave up their time to make the short trip from the Surrey Sports Park to Richmond RFC.
Waiting for them was a group of starry eyed rugby playing girls aged 13 to 17 from local clubs London Irish, Ealing and Harlequins, some of whom were ball girls the previous day as the World Cup kicked off.
And now here was their chance to practice passing with an England international, smash into a Black Fern, sidestep a Canadian and score a try past a Women's Eagle.
The session was taken by coaches from Richmond RFC with all the World Cup stars joining in. Various core skills were covered during the clinic, from passing and footwork, to rolling out of the tackle and spatial awareness - although the fun element was never too far off the agenda!
International aspirations
"It's always a pleasure to come out of the rugby environment, where you've got your professional hat on and are training really hard, and work with younger girls who have aspirations to play international rugby," said Alphonsi.
"The RFUW have done so much work installing a legacy programme, with the aim that at the end of this World Cup we get an influx of young girls wanting to take up the sport.
"What's important is what happens after the World Cup. We need more girls coming into the sport and if the World Cup can boost that then that's key."
An opinion echoed by one of the young girls who took part in the coaching clinic, 13-year-old Sarah Bern, a hooker from London Irish.
"It was good fun and a great opportunity to have one-on-one coaching with World Cup players, they showed us how to improve our technique and make it more professional," said Sarah, who is already a World Cup convert. "I was at the Surrey Sports on the opening day of the World Cup and the atmosphere was amazing."
An enjoyable afternoon was rounded off with an opportunity for the girls to chat with the players, get autographs and pose for photos. And who knows, maybe one day in the future, they themselves might be playing in a World Cup, and doing their bit to inspire future generations.
Rugby opportunities
"It was fantastic; it's wonderful to see a country so committed to bringing rugby to a younger generation and building the pool from which they'll eventually select the national team," said USA hooker Wallace.
"For the young girls we are playing with today, it's really important for them to see that there are higher levels, that they continue playing past university, clubs and youth teams. If they continue to play rugby there are opportunities for them."
With Canada having hosted the last Women's Rugby World Cup in 2006, scrum half Julia Sugawara is all too aware of the impact the World Cup can make on the Women's Game in the host country.
"It made a big impact, especially in the Edmonton area because a lot of young girls were able to come out to the games and see what skill level they could aspire to achieve, and the whole international experience that rugby offers," she explained.
New Zealand number 8 Linda Itunu, a World Cup winner with the Black Ferns in Edmonton, added: "You could tell most of the girls were thinking, am I really training with these players? But we had a lot of skilful players which was really good, because they were teachable and the more teachable you are the better player you'll become, and that was the fun part.
"I think it's awesome what the RFUW have done, bringing the girls together and exposing the game. It's really important just getting young girls involved in the World Cup. I see a lot of them on the sideline, which I think is real cool, and I always say hi or give them a high five, because it's important for them to know that we are approachable."
The next legacy events will take place on 25 August.
