 However, it was no more than two weeks later that he made his starting debut against the Sharks in South Africa, only to lose 22–9.The following week in only his second start as fly-half, Beale scored one of the most memorable tries of the season by chipping over the first line of defence and stealing the ball out of the fullback's hands to score his first five-pointer in .Beale became the Waratahs first choice fly-half for the start of the 2008 Super 14 season.