Mackenzie Martin Signs Three-Year Beziers Deal — Wales Rugby Online
wales rugby online can report that Mackenzie Martin has signed a three-year deal with Beziers in France for next season. The Wales international is expected to move to the Pro D2 side after a season in which he has played just four times for the Dragons.
Mackenzie Martin and Beziers
Martin, a 22-year-old No. 8, is understood to be heading to France’s second tier after breaking through at the Arms Park during the 2023/24 season. An announcement from Beziers is expected in the coming weeks, and the switch would take him out of Welsh club rugby next season.
The move also lines up with the way his career has stalled this year. Martin is on loan at the Dragons from Cardiff, but Cardiff had looked at bringing him back for the latter part of the campaign because of injury concerns in the pack. That move has not materialised.
Wales Caps And Eligibility
Martin was capped by Warren Gatland in the 2024 Six Nations and went on to join the summer tour of Australia that same year. That proved to be his last Wales call-up after a frustrating second season at Cardiff, and the France move would appear to put his Test career on hold for now.
The cap count is the complication. Martin has only four caps, which leaves him well short of the 25-cap rule that can shape whether players based outside Wales remain available for international selection. A deal with Beziers, and the absence of any Welsh offer on the table, pushes that issue to the front of the story.
Beziers And The Relegation Fight
Beziers arrive at this deal after a narrow escape in Pro D2. Victory over Carcassonne last Friday ensured they would not finish last and go straight down to France’s third tier, though they can still finish 15th and face a promotion/relegation play-off against the losing finalist of the Nationale’s promotion play-offs.
For Martin, the immediate question is simple: a three-year contract in France gives him stability, but it also places his Wales future under pressure. He is leaving Cardiff without having forced his way back into the Dragons side, and the next chapter will be written in a league where Beziers are still trying to climb clear of danger.
