'Big Mac' has his eye on the prize

THE extent of the impact Wales newbie Mackenzie Martin is making this season can be judged in many ways. 

- ROB COLE

His club, Cardiff Rugby, are delighted with his progress and awarded the home-grown 20-year-old his first senior contract in January and have played him 10 times this season.

Warren Gatland took a punt on the 6ft 5in, 18st 4lb back rower in his Six Nations squad and gave him a debut off the bench in the defeat in Dublin against the Irish.

The other metric is how the people of Ely, where he was born and raised, are reacting to his dramatic rise as a professional sportsman. It is not an area usually associated international rugby players but ‘Big Mac’s’ rise has already struck a chord within his community.

There are young lads now sporting what is being described as the ‘Big Mac Mullet’.

“It’s been pretty crazy. I started the season with Cardiff RFC and then luckily Matt Sherratt gave me the chance to play for Cardiff Rugby,” said Martin. “I took the opportunity, and that’s exactly what I want to do here with Wales. I haven’t really thought about the whole season, I’ve just worried about the next training session or the next day.