Forwards David Lyons and Dan Vickerman's Test seasons will be finished by the surgeon's knife as the Wallabies' nightmare injury crisis worsened.

No.8 Lyons will undergo a groin operation while lock Vickerman must have shoulder surgery after their brave attempts to carry injuries through the Tri-Nations painfully came unstuck.

Coach Eddie Jones hasn't totally dismissed the notion of postponing Vickerman's operation until after Saturday week's Test against New Zealand but admitted the chances of the NSW lock lining up at Auckland's Eden Park were remote.

The dual blows means Australia has 12 regular Test players sidelined or in doubt for the final Tri-Nations encounter.

The injury horrors, which have forced Jones to try 35 different players this season, have been compounded by the fact another nine fringe candidates are unavailable.

As a result it may see the Wallabies selectors pitching unheralded rookies such as Scott Daruda and Al Kanaar, neither of whom boasted Super 12 contracts at the start of the year, into Test hot seats against the powerful All Blacks.

Jones' intentions to name an extended squad for the return Bledisloe Cup clash have been delayed until Wednesday after receiving medical advice on a string of doubtful players.

Searching for its first win in five Tests to avoid its worst-ever Tri-Nations result, Australia is desperate for good news from reports on injured five-eighths Matt Giteau (lower back), Elton Flatley (blurred vision) and Lachlan MacKay (knee).

Flatley, whose career is at the crossroads, has visited a doctor in Brisbane about concussion symptoms but isn't expected to receive a clear assessment until later in the week.

His Brisbane Brothers clubmate Daruda has been placed on stand-by to become the first teenage pivot since Pat Howard in 1993 despite never having started a match for Queensland.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP