Good things come to those who wait. Tom Donnelly waited and last year, in a rugby sense, it finally arrived.
Donnelly had played more than 50 games for Otago and logged up nearly a half century of caps for the Highlanders by the middle of last year.
It was plenty of experience, but in this day and age where seemingly youth and potential mean more than logging solid minutes out in the middle, his chance of wearing an All Black jersey appeared to have passed him by.
But when the All Black line-out went wonky against the Springboks in Hamilton last September, the selectors came looking for someone who could win them ball and do the hard yards.
Donnelly got the call, and never looked back.
He did his job in his test debut against the Wallabies in Wellington and kept the test jersey on the All Blacks' northern tour.
He was part of the best All Black performance of the year, the big 39-12 win over France in Marseille.
Donnelly said the past few months have been great, and everything he thought it would be.
"Everyone who plays rugby in New Zealand wants to play for the All Blacks. I suppose I got a bit of a lucky break, just with all the injuries with the locks round the country.
"There was a lot of nerves there but I just wanted to enjoy it."
Donnelly said the northern tour was great, playing in fantastic stadiums, in front of huge crowds.
"Just the whole atmosphere there, with the way you had to walk through the crowd getting into the ground. The San Siro was just unreal.
"The team played really well, which made it a lot easier to do my job. There is an expectation of what it is like being in the All Blacks. Winning makes a big difference, and everyone is on the same page.
"I just had to do the basics right. Make your tackles, clean rucks and do your set piece well, the same as every game, really. Nothing really changes."
He said the build-up to the French game was no different but the opportunities came through hard work at training and on the paddock.
There was also extra motivation in the team, after losing the Dave Gallaher Trophy earlier in the season.
Donnelly stayed in the United Kingdom after the tour finished for a holiday then returned to spend Christmas with his mother in Rotorua and also had some time in Wanaka.
"I've had a good break. With not having any contact work I've managed to get rid of all the bumps and bruises. I had a spell when I didn't do much but I've been getting into it over the past three or four weeks."
He had his first run on Saturday, playing the final 30 minutes in the Highlanders' 31-24 win over the Chiefs at Carisbrook.
"It looked like lightning out there. It will be interesting to see if it will be the same sort of pace when the defence tightens up a bit."
Donnelly said the Highlanders had the physical skills but it might have more to do with the top two inches to turn those close defeats into wins.
"I think we just have to have that mental ability to stay focused. We've got the skills to do well and it is just a matter of putting that out on the paddock.
"We've had a core group here for a while, then we've got some new guys, and we just need to keep working hard."
Although his All Black memories are fresh he says the focus for now is on the Highlanders.
"I haven't even thought about the All Blacks. If I don't play well for the Highlanders then there'll be no All Blacks . . it is hugely competitive.
"There are about half a dozen guys out there who are right in the frame. So that means you have to perform."
The Donnelly file
Position: lock
Age: 28
Height, weight: 2m tall, 113kg
Club: Matakanui Combined
Games for Otago: 62.
Games for Highlanders: 48
Tests: 6
