In the process of walking off McKenzie feigned a leg injury by limping, and the crowd, unaware he had been sent off and now believing he was injured, applauded him.
[4] McKenzie was regarded, along with a few others at the time, as one of the most gifted thinkers in New Zealand rugby,[5] and he played a pivotal role in developing the unique wing-forward position.
[1] He was also the eldest of a highly influential rugby family; his younger brothers Jack, Ted, Bert, and Norman all made significant contributions to the sport in New Zealand as administrators, selectors, referees, or players.
[6] Eventually McKenzie, afflicted by rheumatism, moved to Melbourne, Australia, for health reasons, where he was circulation manager for The Herald and The Sun.
[1][7] McKenzie died suddenly in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield on 1 July 1943,[8] and was buried at Box Hill Cemetery.