Donnelly joined the Crusaders in 2012 after eight years and 65 caps with the Highlanders.
He originally hails from Rotorua and played for the Rotorua Boys High School First XV, captained by former Highlanders teammate and Craig Newby, that won the National championship in 1998. Donnelly played for the Junior All Blacks in 2006 and 2007 and made his All Black debut in 2009 against Australia.
He took his international playing career overseas following the 2012 Crusaders season, doing a seven month stint playing for the Mitsubishi Club in Japan.
Donnelly spent two seasons with Montpellier (2014-2016) and a final campaign at Bayonne for the 2016-17 season before retiring from rugby.
He has coached Otago since 2017.
Career
 |
Highlanders Assistant Coach |
2023 - present |
 |
Otago Head Coach |
2023 - present |
|
Otago No 4 Lock |
2002 - 2011 |
 |
Crusaders No 4 Lock |
2012 - 2013 |
 |
Blues No 4 Lock |
2013 - 2014 |
 |
New Zealand No 4 Lock |
2009 - 2014 |
 |
Montpellier No 4 Lock |
2014 - 2015 |
 |
Bayonne No 5 Lock |
2016 - 2017 |
 |
New Zealand U20's Head Coach |
2022 - 2023 |
