New Zealand vs. Australia: Winners and Losers in Bledisloe Cup Match

New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday after beating Australia 41-13 to tie this year's series at one win apiece thanks to a flood of four second-half tries.

Dane Coles, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith soared over to seal the triumph along with a penalty try, putting the wind back in New Zealand's sails before they make their trip to the World Cup.

For Michael Cheika's men, the wait goes on for a win in Auckland, their last triumph in New Zealand having come back in 2001, while the Wallabies haven't prevailed at Eden Park since 1986.

Losing the Rugby Championship to Australia was a bitter moment for Steve Hansen's side, but ensuring the Bledisloe Cup won't leave their borders comes as comforting consolation in the run-up to the World Cup.

Both southern hemisphere powerhouses had a wealth of lessons to take from Saturday's clash, with the biggest winners and losers to emerge from Auckland discussed in further detail ahead.

Winner: All Blacks Pride

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For a moment there, New Zealand almost looked human.

Granted, some will suggest Cheika's selection this weekend had Australia destined for defeat, but the Eden Park display nevertheless reminded the world just how potent a team the All Blacks remain.

More importantly, though, New Zealand reminded themselves of the power they possess. Proud though the world's No. 1-ranked team may be, losing the Rugby Championship in Sydney last Saturday will have hurt even them.

The brand of fast, counterattacking rugby that has made the All Blacks such an evergreen dynasty was back in full flow this time around, providing a welcome boost ahead of their trip to England next month.

For many, salvaging a 13th consecutive Bledisloe Cup will have been of even greater importance than a shortened Rugby Championship tournament.

With their first-string side back firing on all cylinders, Hansen can again be more positive about the notion of winning back-to-back world titles later this year.

Loser: Michael Cheika

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Opinion was unsurprisingly split on Cheika's decision to make six changes to a side that beat New Zealand to take a series lead last Saturday, with debate arising over short-term goals against longer-term logic.

The Guardian's Toby Manhire succinctly outlined the "win-win situation," with the coach standing to benefit either way—lose, and it was perhaps to be expected. Win, and the underdogs all of a sudden become heroes.

Ultimately, though, the choice to field a weakened lineup while the All Blacks remained largely unchanged ended with embarrassment; Cheika's second-stringers were off the pace in a major way and it showed.

The World Cup may be the priority and rightly so, but one may question why a very attainable Bledisloe Cup was allowed to slip away quite so easily, since a triumph would have done the squad a great deal of good.

Experimentation aside, Cheika now has even greater pressure on him from home supporters to ensure his first-choice XV not only make it out of Pool A but contend for the title in England.

Winner: Dane Coles

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A record of four tries in seven Test matches would be seen as admirable for just about any player, but for hooker Coles to have amassed those numbers since October 2014 is something quite incredible.

Having provided a crucial score in Johannesburg three weeks ago, Coles once again came up with the goods against big opposition on Saturday, with OptaJason illustrating his record of excelling on the big stage.

His evolution comes at a crucial time for New Zealand, too, as Keven Mealamu edges toward retirement.

Loser: Quade Cooper

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Despite the best intentions of his coach to see his international future kept alive, Quade Cooper again fell short of expectations in Auckland amid a torrent of pressure from the Eden Park audience.

Handed the No. 10 jersey as a sort of last bid to prove his credentials, Cooper ended his day with six metres made from four carries, albeit notching his side's only first-half points from the tee.

From this performance, BBC Sport's Sonja McLaughlan can't see the Rio 2016 hopeful going to the World Cup, while rugby writer Alex Shaw thinks the playmaker would have benefited from a relaunching of his career in Toulon.

A high tackle on Aaron Smith also saw Cooper sin-binned at the start of the second period, at which point New Zealand proceeded to run in three tries against their weakened opponents.

The constant critiquing of a player who once showed the promise to be world-class has become bitterly sad in a way, but Cooper's ongoing frustrations may just mean he's no longer the prodigal son Cheika seemingly thought him to be.

Winner: The Departing Old Guard

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One for the road, guys?

A host of legends bowed out of Eden Park on Saturday as Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Nonu, Smith, Tony Woodcock and Mealamu signed off with a final Bledisloe Cup to their name.

The six players boast 674 caps between them following the Auckland triumph and will look to sign off their All Blacks careers with one more significantly more important trophy victory in England.

A dynasty of success has been built on the foundation provided by this elite group. The old saying goes that no man is an island, but no one ever said anything about six men holding that honour.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.