"Obviously they will be feeling differently in their preparation. But it's a World Cup final and the adrenaline is going to be pumping. Anyone who is a little bit sore is going to forget all about soreness."
Midfielder Matt Giteau left the field with what was described as a groin niggle, and fullback Israel Folau limped off with what look like a recurrence of his ankle problem.
Cheika played down Folau's issue, saying he was always going to come off on the hour mark, but Australia's key attacking weapon - subdued throughout - received medical attention before his departure and didn't look entirely happy.
Like his Springboks counterpart Heyneke Meyer before the semifinal against the All Blacks, Cheika was happy to praise the All Blacks, although not quite to the same extent.
"They're obviously the world's No1 and they're there for a reason," he said. "We've only beaten them once out of the last 10 - something like that. I think they'll be feeling pretty good and that they've got our measure. It's up to us to do something special, do something extra, to just be competitive, and we'll see what happens from there.
"Every game at this level is so hard and when you've got a team like New Zealand who have got many threats ... they're a very well-drilled side. They have an excellent coach and are very well organised.
"They know what they're doing all the time on the field in all situations, whether it's kicking or running. You have to be working hard all the time. And you have to believe in your own way of playing. We know that we're going to have to improve again and we'll be doing our best to do that."
