SAM HARRIS would never wish for a teammate to be injured. But he was grateful for his 48 minutes of game time at five-eighth on Saturday night after Lachlan Turner went off hurt.

Turner left the field in the 32nd minute after injuring his AC joint, forcing Kurtley Beale to move from No.10 to fullback and Harris from the bench to play five-eighth for the rest of the game.

And if Turner's shoulder prevents his playing on Friday night against the Brumbies and Harris is picked at No.10, those 48 minutes in a position he has rarely played will be invaluable.

"It was good because I really wanted to get on the field, [because] with the new rules you could get left behind in terms of fitness," Harris said. "I have been playing mostly inside-centre but I like playing five-eighth because I get to touch the ball a lot more."

Harris, 28, admits he had not contemplated playing five-eighth before he was pressed into action there in NSW's opening trial match against the Reds, when he came on after Daniel Halangahu injured his ankle. "After playing the trials I sensed the opportunity," Harris said.

Despite what his critics may have to say after his kick-out on the full off the side of his boot near full-time against the Chiefs, Harris believes his kicking game has developed.

"I have developed a kicking game somehow, so I have started kicking with more confidence as a 10," he said. "It was non-existent for three years. I have done a lot of work on it in the last three months."

Harris, who is in his second year back at NSW after four years in rugby league with Manly and Wests Tigers, believes he can offer an edge of difference to the five-eighth's slot. "I just bring something a little bit different to Kurtley," he said. "I might not have done so much [on Saturday night], but I like to take the line on a bit more and trying get us up over the advantage line."

He also believes his experience in the NRL - playing in the back row and second row - has helped equip him for rugby under the new experimental law variations.

"I think it's helped under these new rules. There is a lot more up-and-back and end-to-end football … just conditioning the body to be ready for that. Defensively I feel a lot stronger as well," Harris said.