While farming in
Northern Rhodesia, MacDonald represented Rhodesia as a tight–head prop from the late 1950s, with future Springbok
Ronnie Hill as his hooker. He was known as a strong scrummager and his appearances for Rhodesia included matches against the
1962 British Lions and 1963 Wallabies. In 1964, MacDonald captained Rhodesia on a tour of South Africa, after which Northern Rhodesia became independent, and he caught the attention of Springboks selectors. He represented the Springboks on their
1965 tour of Australia and New Zealand, debuting against the
Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, then playing all four Test matches in New Zealand. After the tour, MacDonald retired to his tobacco farm in what was now Zambia. ==Lion attack==