Australia not only had to deal with the pain off their unsavoury 8-9 loss to Scotland at the weekend, but a growing injury list is adding insult to injury.

Coach Robbie Deans, with the knives out after his team's seventh loss in 10 starts, have six players on the doubtful list as the Wallabies head to Cardiff to face a rejuvenated Welsh team on Saturday.

Centre Digby Ioane (shoulder), scrumhalf Will Genia (knee), No.8 Wycliff Palu (neck), flank and captain Rocky Elsom (quad), along with props Benn Robinson (shoulder) and Sekope Kepu (ankle) are all in a race against the clock to be fit for selection for the encounter at the Millennium Stadium.

Deans remained "hopeful" that all the players will be available, but the latest injury setbacks will certainly disrupt the already traumatised team's preparations.

"Most of the blokes presented better this morning than we expected," Deans told AAP on Sunday.

"We're hopeful at the far end of the week that they'll all be available to us, but it's still early days."

Robinson's damaged AC joint, which forced him from Murrayfield 17 minutes into last Saturday's diabolical defeat against the Scots, is causing most concern.

"He's got pretty good range of movement, which is a good indication of his prospects, but there's a way to go yet for him obviously because he's got to use his shoulder for scrummaging," Deans said.

Robinson landed on the point of his shoulder in a heavy tackle in the opening minutes, forcing Kepu to play more than an hour in just his third Test appearance off the bench.

He performed okay under the circumstances against one of the strongest front rows in Europe, but was penalised twice by French referee Romain Poite for two scrum infringements and also made a couple of costly handling errors in what was very much a baptism of fire.

If Robinson is ruled out, Deans may call on the experience of Matt Dunning rather than starting Kepu in front of 74,500 staunch Welsh fans at the Millennium Stadium sellout.

A medicab transported Palu from the field in a neck brace after he lost the feeling in one arm, but team doctor Warren McDonald reported the back row forward's condition as merely a pinched nerve.

While he remains a chance of backing up, Palu still looked in discomfort on arrival in Cardiff.

Deans described Elsom's quadriceps injury as "reasonably significant" but the skipper said he should be okay to play.

X-rays cleared Genia of ligament or bone damage and he spent all Saturday night icing the knee, but was still limping on Sunday.

"So obviously it will depend on when he starts moving," Deans said. "But we're hopeful that he could be okay.

"Kepu rolled his ankle but we're confident he'll be fine and with Digby we're hopeful."

Ioane was a late scratching from the Scotland Test after suffering a "stinger" the previous week against Ireland.

"It's just a matter of his strength coming back, so we'll do a bit of work to get the strength back into his arm," Deans said.

365

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