"It's great that the talents of these players have been recognised at a higher level but if for some reason they don't make the grade there they have all said they would be keen to play for us again," Syms said.
The possibility of having Gladstone duo, lock Andrew McLean and hooker Richard Puddy, both of whom were unavailable last year, back on deck this season is welcomed by Syms and the same goes for utility back Sam Monaghan, who is in the United Kingdom but is expected to return to the region in May.
Syms has also been delighted with the number of players who are already turning out at club training sessions and he says he and his coaching staff will be working hard over the winter months to ensure they have a strong working relationship with their club counterparts.
Meanwhile, Wairarapa folk heading to the HSBC Wellington Sevens this weekend who like wearing their undies on the outside can battle it out for the Judges' Choice, Best Superhero prize.
The new category is one of six in the ever popular Costume Catwalk, sponsored by Chris Parkin in association with Wellington Sevens.
The $15,000 prize pool recognises the top creations in Best Male, Best Female, Best Couple, Best Group and the supreme winner will be selected from the finalists of each category.
After the success of the children's category introduced for the first time last year, the efforts of the youngest fans will once again be recognised with a Best Junior prize.
Businessman Chris Parkin is sponsoring the contest which provides an added incentive for sevens fans to go all out at New Zealand's biggest dress-up event.
"The costumes are a big feature of Wellington Sevens and people love to get into the spirit of dressing up.
"Every year I'm blown away at how much effort people put into their costumes and I think it's only right that we offer prizes to reward the best of the best.
"We've added a superhero prize this year to recognise their popularity. It really doesn't matter whether you've five or 50 years old, everyone dreams of being a superhero with special powers at some stage in their life. We want to celebrate that and I'm sure it's going to be a really popular part of the competition."
Parkin said the judges will be looking for originality of design and concept when selecting winners for all categories.
Sevens Wellington general manager Steve Dunbar said the Costume Catwalk was a highlight for many fans and a chance for those who choose to dress up to show off the costumes in all their glory.
"Dressing up is synonymous with Wellington Sevens and offers the best people watching experience in the country. You'll see everyone from Marge and Homer Simpson, to Fred Dagg to Batman and Robin all singing and dancing and cheering on the rugby. It's special to Wellington, and events all over the world look to replicate what we have here," Dunbar said.
