Blues coach Sir John Kirwan compares him to a bottle of fine wine although lock Tom Donnelly will need to uncork a vintage performance off the reserves bench against a team that has been a key part of his rugby career.

On Saturday, the Blues host the Highlanders, with whom Donnelly made his Super Rugby debut in 2004 and went on to represent 65 times.

The last of those appearances was back in 2011, but a match against his former franchise still produces added buzz.

“It’s massive for me,” the 32-year-old said.

“That’s where I started my career and spent eight years so they’re obviously a big part of my life.

“When you come up against your old friends, there’s always a bit more of a competitive edge and it’s just exciting I get to have another crack at them.”

The two teams lie eighth and ninth on the table with the Blues ahead by a point.

They’ve already met this season, with the Highlanders winning 29-21 in Dunedin after racing out to a 24-0 half-time lead.

“It would be handy if we didn’t give them a 20-odd point start this time,” Donnelly said.

“It’s been the case with our games so far. We’ve made mistakes in the first half which has given teams points and we’ve had to catch up.”

Donnelly’s chance will come off the bench after Kirwan named Hayden Triggs to make his first start for the season as a locking partner for Liaki Moli.

After two seasons with the Crusaders and a stint in Japan, Donnelly has added experience to a Blues locking department that lost former All Blacks Ali Williams and Anthony Boric to overseas contracts.

Kirwan’s options were further hit by a serious knee injury to Culum Retallick during pre-season training.

Donnelly, who played 15 Tests during 2009 and 2010, laughed off his coach comparing him to a fine wine.

“I didn’t play a lot of footy last year and I’m getting a bit of an opportunity now and have just been really enjoying it,” he said.

“It would be nice to have a few more wins under the belt but there’s still a long way to go in the season.”