Wales head coach Warren Gatland cited his side's injury problems as a key factor in their 25-16 defeat to Australia.
Byrne and Ryan Jones may return soon
Wales head coach Warren Gatland cited his side's injury problems as a key factor in their 25-16 defeat to Australia at the Millennium Stadium.
Full-back Lee Byrne, wing Leigh Halfpenny, back-rower and captain Ryan Jones and centre Jamie Roberts were all absent, forcing a reshuffle with James Hook moved to full-back and Andrew Bishop and Tom Shanklin in the centre, while Dan Lydiate and Sam Warburton were handed starts in the back row.
Gatland, who has now won just one out of 11 games against Tri-Nations opposition while in charge of Wales, said: "There were some critical turnovers and errors that were costly and we missed some chances and shots at goal that were costly, but we can look to build on today and improve further in this campaign.
"We played one of the best sides in the world today at full strength and we know we are missing a few key players so there are some positives to take but there are some disappointments as well.
"We have got some real quality players not in the side at the moment.
"I was pleased that we were direct, the scrum went well we were physical and we did a pretty good job on (Australia flanker) David Pocock."
While Halfpenny and Roberts will not be fit for the remaining autumn fixtures against South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand, Gatland is hoping to have Byrne (broken hand) and Ryan Jones (calf) available.
"We are hoping that Lee Byrne could be back and be available," he said. "We will also check on Ryan over the next week."
Delighted
Australia coach Robbie Deans added: "We are delighted to get a result here. To back up after last week (a 26-24 win over New Zealand) was good, although I felt we left a few points out there and were a bit too exuberant on occasions.
"But our effort and enthusiasm was good, and I thought it was a good game. Wales brought a lot to the table and played to the 80th minute and I thought it was a good spectacle for the people who paid to view it.
"There was not a lot between the sides. We took the pressure early, we have made some progress with our defence, and scoring the first try obviously helps."
Deans also paid tribute to the performance of the Wallabies' back line; "The back three have done well. We are getting more work from them but they don't get to play without the work that goes on inside of them.
"There is plenty of good work going on inside of them to give them the space they need."
