AS Kurtley Beale prepared to take his conversion of Lote Tuqiri's second-half try against the Stormers, his mind flashed back to a night almost three months ago.

Taking time to position and angle the ball, then stepping back to line up his run through to kick, Beale thought about the crowd that booed and jeered him as he kicked against the Chiefs in Hamilton in round two - and the screeching noise of a chainsaw.

Despite the hostility of the environment that night in February, his penalty attempt succeeded to draw the scores level before the Chiefs slotted another goal to win.

Against the Stormers on Saturday, before a much larger and angrier crowd of 45,712, Beale knew he needed the same calm and control that he'd had in Hamilton.

He had to be able to cut his mind off from the cacophony of noise around him that he knew - as every goalkicker does - was aimed at trying to derail his goal attempt.

"I was put in that situation when we played the Chiefs, the chainsaw happened. I took the same approach," Beale said of his kick that soared straight through the posts.

"I have been practising a lot over the last couple of weeks to try and block out the crowd."

Beale also revealed Waratahs back Sam Harris played a key role in achieving that state of mind - and the conversion. He wasn't playing, but running drinks and nearby when the moment came that ensured NSW gained two vital competition points.

"I got a bit of a tip off Sam Harris. He said, 'drive it long and hard'," Beale recalled. "I hit it pretty well. And as it was sailing towards the posts Sammy said, 'yee-ha'. So I said, 'it's over'."

It was a fitting success for Beale, who played perhaps his best game of the season.

He may have rued missing his drop goal in injury time, which could have won the game. But, as he and captain Phil Waugh said afterwards, he will be better for the experience.

"It was stupid of me. I should have taken a few steps back and had a crack at it," Beale said. "We [also] could have scored in the corner had we shifted [the ball] - we had most of the backs out there."

But Beale's pragmatic outlook on the game is an indication of his growing maturity.

"I am going to have a really good look at the game - my game - and really try and improve for next week's game [against the Reds] and hopefully for the finals," Beale said.

He said much of his improvement was due to the Waratahs pack giving him space and time.

"The boys have helped me a lot. 'Cliffy' Palu is an animal. He, Rocky Elsom and Phil [Waugh], the back row is great," he said.

Waugh was equally impressed with the 19-year-old Beale.

"He has grown every game this year," Waugh said. "The direction that he gives the team and the confidence that he has now - it is such a significant difference from where he was at last year."