Wales could be without locks Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris for the 2012 Six Nations tournament.
The second-row pair are unavailable for Saturday's Test against the Wallabies at the Millennium Stadium with toe and wrist problems respectively.
Warren Gatland has revealed that the duo could miss all of Wales's five internationals during the tournament in February.
"There is the potential that Alun and Luke could both be out for the Six Nations," Gatland said.
"We are sending Luke to the surgeon and he potentially needs an operation on his wrist, similar to the one Jamie Roberts had a little while ago, so he could be out for four or five months."
Saturday's Test with the Wallabies marks the international retirement of Wales's leading try-scorer Shane Williams.
