Donnelly, who barely played during the Super 14 for the Highlanders and who was just having his eighth test on Saturday night at Eden Park, had a whale of a game, winning lineout ball, popping up all over the park and never shirking in defence during the All Blacks' big 32-12 win over the Springboks.
Donnelly said despite the convincing victory, the team would not be resting on its laurels.
"The benchmark has been set and we'll have a big week ahead of us. They won't like what happened to them and will be coming out firing," he said.
"We just have to back it up now."
The man they call "Sassy" was playing just his third game in four months, but showed no signs of rust, saying his time off the paddock might be paying dividends.
"I did a lot more cross-training when I was injured, so maybe it is starting to pay off now. The game was a lot quicker than the Welsh test and a lot more physical."
He was part of a superb All Black set-piece, which loomed large over the Springbok lineout and totally dominated the visitors in the scrum.
"We do homework on them and sometimes it pays off and tonight it did . . . we had a good night at the office.
"When things are going well for you then you start to get the run of the ball and you get a roll on. But then if things are not going well for you, then that can be your downfall."
Donnelly said the good performance in the lineout came down to hard work on the training paddock.
"Last year, our lineouts started on a bit of a slippery slope and just went downhill from there. This year, we've got systems in place to keep concentrating in the lineout."
All Black coach Graham Henry said the impressive set-piece laid the platform for a special win.
"It was a special day and the edge was created by the three losses last year. I'm very proud of what the guys have achieved. It was up there with the performance in Marseilles last year," he said.
"I think we've got to enjoy the night and then set some objectives for next week at the appropriate time. It is very important that we enjoy this week and then put the win to bed before Wellington."
All Black skipper Richie McCaw said he and many of the experienced players were motivated to play well on Saturday night, to pay the Springboks back after they whitewashed the All Blacks last year.
"A lot of people had been waiting to play this test match. A lot of thought went into this. But we get to do it again next week. And the exciting thing is we don't have to wait another 12 months. We just have to wait seven days.
"Test matches are a test of your character . . . it was frustrating last year in that preparation was not that good. It just sits there. We've played nine test matches since than and have had nine wins. But we wanted to see where we were at."
Springbok captain John Smit said his side just did not fire a shot, and there was much work ahead for next week.
"The lights were out tonight. We just did not rock up and play. The only positive I can see is that we can not play any worse."