Springboks captain and Sharks player Siya Kolisi has offered some responsible advice to teenagers celebrating the end of the school year, particularly at Matric Rage.
The music festivals, aimed at grade 12 learners, takes place at Ballito on the North Coast from 30 November to 7 December.
The coastal town is currently home to the rugby player.
SIYA KOLISI’S ADVICE TO MATRIC RAGE GOERS
Speaking after the Sharks beat Exeter 39-21 on home turf at Kings Park Stadium, Siya Kolisi thanked South Africans – particularly KwaZulu-Natal supporters – for coming to watch them play.
Taking the title of player of the match, Siya said: “Thank you for showing up; we appreciate you.”
The 34-year-old also showed love to South Africans visiting the province amid the festive season.
However, Siya Kolisi had an important message for the Matric Class of 2024. He said: “To the matrics, please don’t drink too much. Take care of yourselves.”
The Springboks captain was likely referring to the Rage Festival, which is currently taking place in Ballito. The event is “South Africa’s biggest Matric Festival” and attracts grade 12 learners from around the country.
The music fest features plenty of parties – and alcohol consumption.
@supersportofficial Siya is loving the switch to the 8 jersey 💪💪 #SportsonTikTok #SSRugby #Rugby #InvestecChampionsCup #ChampionsCup #TikTokSA #SouthAfrica #Sharks ♬ original sound – SuperSportTV
SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE?
In his 2023 memoir, Rise, Siya Kolisi opened up about his challenging upbringing and his addiction to pornography, heavy drinking, and partying hard despite being a husband and father.
He also revealed how he began drinking and sniffing petrol at just 10 years old.
When it came to his battle with the bottle, Siya – from Zwide in Eastern Cape – claimed that he often drank himself into oblivion and even blackouts.
He wrote in an excerpt: “It wasn’t ‘stop drinking’ because drinking would have been fine if I’d just had a couple of beers and stopped there. It was ‘stop drinking until you’re obliterated, each and every time.’ Because that’s what I was. Whenever I opened a drink, it was as though there was a message at the bottom of the bottle saying, ‘Drink me, keep on going.’ I’d binge and not remember what had happened the night before.
“Picking up the pieces of the story from other people was fun for a while – ‘Ag! Man, you’ll never believe what you did; you were so wasted’ – but I’d soon begun to tire of it and think that there must be more to life than this.”
In 2019, Siya Kolisi’s wife, Rachel, convinced him to get a Christian mentor and change his bad habits.
DID YOU GO TO MATRIC RAGE?
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