KEY POINTS:
BRISBANE - When Stephen Donald got the callup to join the Suncorp Stadium cauldron with half-an-hour left, he thought he was hearing things.
Previously a bit-part All Black with five caps all off the bench, why would backs coach Wayne Smith sub an off-colour but uninjured Ma'a Nonu as they trailed the Wallabies by three points in the Tri-Nations decider?
And shift Daniel Carter to second five-eighth.
"I was a wee bit daunted going out there. I was thinking have you got this right, Smithy? I haven't usually gone out in the big games for that period of time. I was pretty stoked with the way it turned out really," Donald said.
"We hadn't really trained like that all week. When the call came I was a bit shocked, but excited too and I knew it was my chance to play a big game with 30 minutes to go."
Along with bench halfback Piri Weepu, Donald added some spark to a fast-finishing All Blacks team who rattled up quick tries to Weepu and Carter to make a thrilling test safe, 28-24.
The Waikato pivot, 24, enjoyed the spoils later when he drank from the Bledisloe Cup as the jubilant All Blacks completed their fifth successive defence.
Not only was he buzzing at the experience but his wavering confidence got a welcome boost from Smith's faith. Consistency had been a past issue in Super 14.
"I guess it's going to be good for my confidence. There's always a doubt whether you're up to this level.
"You're always a bit nervous and you want to improve yourself. I felt I handled myself all right out there and it's given me confidence that I can survive at this level.
"You want to earn the respect of the other 21 guys and prove you can be here.
"For my own self-confidence I needed to prove I could do that. I've done nothing in the All Black jersey so I wanted to prove I deserved to be here."
Deserve it he did, and ensured a key role on the November Grand Slam tour as Carter's backup and impact player.
Smith said Donald's "x-factor" and ability to direct play was crucial in Brisbane.
And Carter couldn't help but be impressed.
"He played extremely well, he came on full of energy and he ran the show. He was excited to be out there and definitely added to the side, which is what you need the subs to do," Carter said.
- NZPA
