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The Wallabies may still be able to salvage something from a horror year, but they will need to be patient.Saturday nights 23-17 triumph over South Africa still featured a disastrous lineout and plenty of errors, but improvements in defence - particularly their one-on-one tackling - and greater direction in attack saw them outlast the Springboks on a heavy Brisbane deck.Michael Cheikas side was its own worst enemy on countless occasions, much of it born out of the anxiety created by six consecutive defeats, as poor decision-making and pushed passes made the scoreline a lot tighter than it probably should have been.That fact was highlighted by the two tries Australia did manage to score, and the extended build-up which first saw Adam Coleman touch down in the corner in the first half and then Bernard Foley back himself, step, roll and stretch to follow suit after the break.But there was too little of it, particularly while the Springboks were down to 14 men early in the second stanza.Fortunately for the Australians, they wouldnt end up ruing some cheap turnover ball either.Their breakdown work was sloppy, at best, for much of the first half while a Foley pass intercepted by Springboks skipper Adriaan Strauss must have had Wallabies fans reaching for the cold washer when Johan Goosen finished off the long-range effort to open up an early 14-3 lead.It was then the Wallabies called on the mixture of experience and new blood that, should they struggle to notch too many further wins for the remainder of the Rugby Championship and then the spring tour, they will still be able to drop into the positives column for season 2016.After an overly-aggressive run-on debut in Wellington, lock Coleman delivered a more measured but equally rugged performance in tight, even picking himself up following a nasty head clash to make a key second-effort tackle late on.Winger Reece Hodge showed similar determination despite a lack of open space, and did a fine job defending at inside centre with Foley positioned on the wing. That Hodge has taken on the responsibility of line kicks should not be overlooked either.And then there was Samu Kerevi, whose match-high 111 metres, four clean breaks and three broken tackles will have cemented his place at outside centre and put to bed the calls for Israel Folaus move to the frontline; not that the fullbacks sublime game under the Springboks aerial assault wont have done the same.Kerevi, like Coleman, is raw but in time the simple switch of hand that cost him a five-pointer will become second nature.On the experienced side of the ledger, Will Genia continues to deliver. From a classic covering tackle inside the opening minutes to his sharp service and greatly improved box kick, the veteran No. 9 has quickly become the Wallabies most important player.Quade Cooper is a much better player with Genia inside him, and the Wallabies pack a far more cohesive unit when the Queenslander is shouting orders behind them. Australian fans will be hoping he doesnt receive a similar order to Adam Ashley-Cooper and is forced to return to France.But in celebrating this win, their first since October last year, the Wallabies will know just how much work they have in front of them. And when it comes to the lineout, they may even require some sort of voodoo witch doctor such is the shambles the key set-piece has become.Officially, the Wallabies only lost one ball on their own throw on Saturday night. But there were cases of pure comedy when Australian jumpers, unexpectedly, received the ball while Genia was also forced to mop up on more than one occasion.The Cooper-Foley combination also needs work with the latter still adjusting to his fly-halfs helter-skelter frame-of-mind, and just how he can provide the direction to Coopers creativity - a source of entertainment that was captured in a first-half flick pass that put Kerevi away.Given by what they showed in Hamilton earlier Saturday night, the Pumas will represent a much greater challenge for the Wallabies in seven days time.The message for Australia should be reasonably simple though, all you need is a little patience - in both approach and personnel.Lanny McDonald Maple Leafs Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Grant Fuhr Jersey . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.mapleleafsteamstoreonline.com/customized/ . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Kasperi Kapanen Maple Leafs Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Travis Dermott Maple Leafs Jersey . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville.NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Ben Lovejoy?and?center Vernon Fiddler and re-signed three players in a big start to free agency.General manager Ray Shero announced the moves Friday, adding that defenseman Jon Merrill and forwards Beau Bennett and Devante Smith-Pelly were re-signed.Lovejoy got a three-year, $8 million contract that will count $2.67 million against the salary cap through the 2018-19 season. Hell make $2.5 million next season and in 2017-18 and $2.75 million in the final year of the contract.Fiddler, who played in all 82 games for the Dallas Stars last season and had 12 goals and 10 assists, got a one-year contract worth $1.25 million.The 32-year-old Lovejoy won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played in all 24 playoff games and had two goals and four assists.In coming to New Jersey, Lovejoy is reunited with his former general manager in Pittsburgh (Shero) and his minor league coach John Hynes, the Devils current head coach.Lovejoy said he had a lot of teams offering him contracts.The Devils were a situation where I was comfortable, Lovejoy said. I told teams all along that I didnt need to hit a home run. I wanted to come to a place where I felt wanted, where I was comfortable. I wanted to live and play on a team that was good, and I think the Devils were a perfect spot for me.The Devils did not give Merrill, Smith-Pelly and Bennett qualifying contract offers on Monday, but Shero was confident he would re-sign them.The 24-year-old Merrill received a two-year contract that will pay him $1 million this season and $1.275 million in 2017-18. He has appeared in 165 games with the Devils, scoring five goals and 25 assists. This past season, he had one goal and four assists in 47 games.ddddddddddddSmith-Pelly, who was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in late February for former first-round pick Stefan Matteau, also got a two-year contract that will pay him $1.25 million this season and $1.35 million in 2017-18.Smith-Pelly set career highs with 14 goals and 11 assists in 64 combined games this season. He had eight goals and five assists in 18 games with New Jersey.I came in right away and the coaches put a lot of responsibility on me, Smith-Pelly said in a conference call. I thought I responded pretty well and it was a good spot. Ive bounced around with a couple of teams the past couple of years, I got some traction here and have a chance to stay at a spot thats [good].Bennett got a one-year, one-way, $725,000 contract. He was acquired last weekend from Pittsburgh for a 2016 third-round pick at the draft.Lovejoy replenishes New Jerseys blue line after the Devils traded Adam Larsson to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for left wing Taylor Hall. Hall gives the Devils their best scoring threat in years.The Devils also signed defensemen Karl Stollery and Andrew MacWilliam and right wing Carter Camper to a one-year, two-way contracts worth $575,000 each at the NHL level.MacWilliam, 26, spent last season with Manitoba (AHL) scoring one goal and 14 assists in 72 games.Camper, who will turn 28 on July 6, spent last season with Hershey (AHL), getting nine goals and 25 assists in 64 games.Stollery, 28, spent last season with San Jose (AHL) getting six goals and 18 assists and 65 penalty minutes in 67 games. ' ' '