FORMER Springbok and NSW Waratahs captain Tiaan Strauss and loose-forward Michael Brial, both at the centre of a player rebellion against New South Wales rugby coach Ian Kennedy this season, were axed on Wednesday from the Waratahs’ national championship squad. South African-born Strauss, former captain Brial and utility backs Darren Junee and Duncan McRae were all left out of the squad. Nine uncapped players, six of them backs were chosen in the squad for the matches against Queensland in Sydney on June 3 and the ACT in Canberra on June 10. Strauss was openly critical of Kennedy after he was dropped from the Waratahs’ starting lineup for their last two Super 12 games, while Brial was sparingly used off the bench and McRae and Junee were not used for the entire tournament.