Tenth last year, the selection of the Grand Est wanted to return to the last four of the Interpoles. The players of Philippe Schlatter and Jean-Brice Gaillard did much better than that! Even deprived of a centerpiece, the Alsatian right-back Thibaud Dambacher (Sarrebourg).
Baptiste Pienne and his teammates flew over the final against Pôle Antilles/Guyane this Sunday (36-19). Like a competition where they did not find opponents to their measure, in pool (30-21 against Hauts-de-France, 46-19 against Italy U17, 41-27 against Normandy) as in the semi-final on Saturday (31-26 against Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).
Alsace had provided, as always, a large contingent to the selection of the Grand Est since seven players were among the sixteen selected: Kays Ighirri (half-center, ASPTT Mulhouse / Rixheim), Loan Pamart-Gabet (back, Plobsheim), Simon Neeff (left back, Strasbourg/Schiltigheim), Gustave Deloye (right winger, Sélestat), Thomas Omeyer (centre half, Sélestat), Simon Rebel (pivot, Sélestat) and Guillaume Sutter (left winger, Sélestat). Not to mention the Marnais goalkeepers Baptiste Pienne (Strasbourg / Schiltigheim) and Romann Carle (Sélestat), as well as the future Sélestadien Tom Pompon (left winger, Saint-Brice-Courcelles).
This is the second title in three competitions for the Pôle Espoirs du Grand Est, after that won in 2019 (the 2020 and 2021 editions had been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic). Ten Alsatians had then contributed to the gold. Training in the region therefore continues to excel. Among the boys as among the girls, since nine Alsatian women returned from the Interpôles at the end of January to Bourg de Péage with the silver medal.
