Without any delay, the answer came. He didn't know because he'd never gone from whitebaiting to a World Cup semifinal before.
It was all in the timing and if the 27-year-old five-eighths reproduces that if called on at Eden Park on Sunday against the Wallabies, his masters will be content.
They were happy Donald finally answered a call from injured buddy Mils Muliaina telling him to "start answering your phone you idiot". The five-eighths had missed a couple of phone calls from the coaches but made up for that by bringing several kilos of whitebait to the team hotel.
He's had a good month away from rugby and had enjoyed watching the World Cup. He had never relinquished his dream of an emergency call-up and had maintained his fitness for his next contract with Bath.
"Having watched it, I'd love to be a part of it," said Donald of the World Cup. "Now that opportunity, potentially, is here so to me it is just exciting.
"I have been in this environment before and I've got a lot of the basic calls down pat so it is a matter of refreshing on that in the next few days and I will get most of my work done in the next few days and I am sure I will be up to speed," he said.
Assistant coach Wayne Smith said there were no other five-eighths on the standby list after Aaron Cruden and now Donald had been summoned.
Others who might have been in the frame but have been released to play overseas are Luke McAlister and Stephen Brett.
Donald was "fairly surprised" with his return to the All Blacks but had never given up on that hope.
Nor did he take too much notice of the criticism which had followed him through his test career. He had been on a decent break and was just ready to go.
"I've been given a crack here and an opportunity which I am extremely excited about," he said.
When he booked into the team hotel yesterday, it coincided with the reunion of the 1987 All Black World Cup winning side and it had been a great moment to meet some of those heroes like fullback John Gallagher.
The other reinforcement, Hosea Gear, felt sympathy for injured fullback Muliaina first when he was contacted about linking up with the squad.
Gear was disappointed to miss the initial World Cup cut but subsequently had discovered the joy of becoming a father of twins.
He had spoken to his elder brother Rico, who missed the 2007 Cup, about the family finally getting some tournament recognition.
Waikato outside back Richard Kahui reckoned his provincial buddy Donald had shown impeccable timing by missing the pool play and just coming in for the big stuff.
He was someone whose mind was a strength in his rugby kitbag. He handled rejection and success with equal assurance and was confident about his ability to handle the job.
"He has often not been the pick of the media over the years but he had handled that well," Kahui said.
"He has played a lot of big games for the All Blacks on a lot of big stages and there are not too many bigger stages than this.
"And for him to come into the tournament now, I think he has got the right temperament and the right skills if he is called upon to do a job."
All Blacks v Australia
Eden Park, 9pm Sunday.
