Martin keen to take up Beziers challenge

■By BEN JAYCOCK

BÉZIERS-bound back rower Mackenzie Martin feels it is the right time to leave his comfort zone and embrace a new culture in France, but admits he is unsure whether he will remain eligible for Wales.

The 22-year-old No.8 has signed a three-year contract with the ProD2 side after spending last season on loan at Dragons from Cardiff.

Martin experienced a meteoric rise in 2024, earning five caps for Wales under Warren Gatland shortly after making his debut for Cardiff.

Since then his career has been disrupted by injuries and a lack of consistent game time, with the 6ft 5in, 18st 3lbs (116kgs) powerhouse making only four URC appearances for Dragons this term.

Martin will have to wait and see if he is able to part of Steve Tandy’s plans but says the immediate priority is getting regular rugby at a good level.

He told The Rugby Paper: “My agent has been asking the union whether I’ll still be eligible. I don’t know if they’ve got back to him yet or not. That was only a couple of weeks ago. I’m not in Wales anymore, so it’s probably harder to get picked, but we’ll see.

“It’s a legendary club in France. The history there is pretty rich and they’re trying to build a project. I’m excited to get out of my comfort zone, learn a new language, jump into a different culture and embrace it.

“At 22, I’ve got no kids and not too many responsibilities other than my girlfriend and helping take care of my parents. It’s probably the right time for me. I don’t want to wait until I’m 30 and have loads more responsibilities, it is much harder then.”

While many Welsh players see representing their nation as the ultimate dream, the Cardiff-born back row is more interested in financially supporting his family.

He added: “If I don’t play for Wales again, it’s not the end of the world. My main focus has always been taking care of my family. At the end of the day, it’s our job. If I wasn’t doing this, I’d probably be working on a building site somewhere.

“My contract is for three years, so we’ll see what happens at the end of that. Hopefully I’ve grown as a player and as a person.

“For me, it’s not the be-all and end-all playing for Wales. It was the biggest honour growing up and something I dreamed about. But I’ve always been someone who wants to take care of my family and the people around me as I’m not from a nice area like a lot of the Wales players.”

Former Springboks prop Guthro Steenkamp, below, has taken over as Beziers’ new boss this week following David Irazoqui’s departure, and Martin is chomping at the bit to play in front of full houses across the French second tier.

“France’s top two tiers are like the Premier League and Championship in football,” said Martin. “It’s unbelievable. In the ProD2, teams are getting 10,000-plus fans every week and some stadiums are getting 20,000. That’s the second division! I mean no disrespect to the URC, but some clubs struggle to get 10,000 people through the gates. Having those crowds makes a huge difference as a player. My first season at Cardiff, when we had a full house, we seemed to play differently. It gives you a lift.

“Generally, in France everyone wants to play rugby and throw the ball around. That’s what French rugby is known for. But the best teams have structure first. They know when to play and when not to play. A bit of structure goes a long way in that division.

“The coach they’ve brought in has a huge reputation. He was at La Rochelle and has worked at the top level. He’s a massive figure in the game. It’s exciting to learn from someone like that.”

Despite making just a handful of appearances, Martin enjoyed his time at Dragons and feels they are on the verge of a transformation, just like Cardiff enjoyed this season reaching the quarter-finals. He said: “I genuinely loved it. The last six months were difficult because I had two back-to-back pretty serious knee injuries, but even then I loved it. The first week after an injury is always tough. You’re pretty down but the boys were great, the coaches were great and the physios were brilliant.

On the move: Mackenzie Martin playing for Wales in the 2024 Six Nations

PICTURES: Getty Images

“I’d just bought a new house with my girlfriend, which is ironic considering I’m now moving to France. But coming home to her every day helped as well. She’s a legend.

“It reminded me a lot of my first season at Cardiff. Back then we were a really young side. We were good but we just couldn’t quite get over the line. We picked up something like 11 bonus points but only won three or four games. They’ll build again next season and probably build again the year after. Look at Cardiff now three years later. They’re finishing in the top eight. I can definitely see that happening with Dragons if they’re given a bit of patience.”