A week later he was one of the few Chiefs to emerge with credit from an ugly outing against the Sharks, regularly creating something from nothing with a series of electrifying runs from the back.
His emergence sees McKenzie sit among his team's top five in clean breaks (five), defenders beaten (15) and average gain (5.88m), despite his 251 minutes this season ranking just 13th among all Chiefs.
It has also allowed Dave Rennie to include both of his attacking dynamos, with Cruden leading the side from pivot and the similarly-statured McKenzie sparking the attack from the back.
"He's got a fantastic skill set and he's very quick," Rennie said of McKenzie. "He's still got a lot to learn, obviously, but he's a hell of an exciting prospect. He's a great kid and he'll just get better and better with more opportunities at this level."
McKenzie is understandably happy wherever those opportunities arrive, having played fullback for the New Zealand under-20s before spending the ITM Cup season at No10 with Waikato.
"I've had a little bit of experience [at fullback] but I'm still getting used to everything," McKenzie said. "I'm enjoying it and it's a good position to play in.
"Obviously with Cruds at 10, it's still good to learn off him. But if I keep getting an opportunity at 15, I'd love to play there. We'll see what the coaches have to say but if I get another opportunity at 15, I'll make the most of it. There's a lot of good players who can play there, so it's anyone's position at the moment."
McKenzie wasn't entirely satisfied with his efforts in South Africa, particularly under the high ball, but another impressive outing today could help him lock down the position.
"I see Damian as having the same opportunities as Gareth Anscombe had when he came here," said assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge.
"We've got one of the All Blacks first fives playing pretty well, so this is an opportunity for Damian to nail a position.
"He's got his head around it now, that it's a real prospect for him to become our regular fullback."
