Students at Archbishop O’Leary got a chance to learn rugby from the best on Thursday.

Two representatives from Canada’s national women’s team are currently touring the province leading practices and skills camps at local high schools in an attempt to help bolster what is already the fastest growing women’s sport in the country.

“We are really excited to be here, just working with the youth, it’s really great to see,” said Brittany Walters, a winger/fullback for the national team.

“I think it’s so great to start young. I didn’t start until I was 19, so seeing them start so young … I think it’s great to see the girls starting at such a young age. It’s the fastest-growing women’s sport in the country, so it’s really great to let them have that exposure to the highest level.”

Walters and teammate Barbara Mervin taught the high schoolers proper tackling and passing techniques and led a Q&A session that covered topics like proper nutrition and how to recover from injury.

The tour of Alberta schools is part of a promotional campaign Rugby Canada is running to help spread the word about their Women’s Rugby Super Series which will run across the province from late June until early July.

The series will feature four of the six top-rated nations in the world and will see Canada face off against New Zealand, the United States and England.

Canada’s first match will be in Calgary on June 27, where they will play New Zealand. That game will be followed by a Canada Day bout against their rival American squad before they get their chance at a rematch of the 2014 World Cup final against England in Edmonton on July 5.

“It’s international women’s rugby at its best,” said Bryan Kelly, communications manager for Rugby Canada. “Canada is fresh off a second-place finish this year (at the World Cup) so it’s really exciting.”

“It’s a really fast growing sport. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s exciting. It’s a really social game, it is a lot of fun and Canada has a very high rating. We are second in the world in both sevens and fifteens. It’s not quite as big as hosting the Women’s World Cup, but it is a huge deal. It’s quite big for the city, but I think it’s also big for our team and the province of Alberta.”

Tickets for the event are available through events.rugbycanada.ca​.

aaron.taylor@sunmedia.ca