Feria de Nîmes: triumph of Tomas Rufo in front of a large field of Victoriano del Rio

Tomas Rufo a ouvert sa deuxième Porte des Consuls. Midi Libre – MIKAEL ANISSET

Tomas Rufo's classic toreo convinced the aficionados. Midi Libre – MIKAEL ANISSET

Sébastien Castella lost the Porte des Consuls with the sword. Midi Libre – MIKAEL ANISSET

Emilio de Justo lost two ears of his second toro with the descabello. Midi Libre – MIKAEL ANISSET

Victoriano del Rio fought three important bulls in Nîmes in a bullfight where Tomas Rufo opened the Porte des Consuls. The harvest would have deserved to take on a completely different scale without the failures with steel of Sébastien Castella and Emilio de Justo who each lost two ears. For the third time at the Feria, the arenas were full.

Victoriano del Rio embarked for Nîmes a correctly presented and armed bullfight which offered an interesting game during the six fights. Three toros proved to be excellent and the 3rd was awarded a posthumous vuelta and the 5th would have deserved the same fate without the bronca which came down from the stands after the multiple failures of De Justo at the descabello which caused the bellows to fall .

But these three Victoriano del Rio (3rd, 4th and 5th) met all the criteria that one can demand of a brave toro: commitment under the cavalry, promptness , class, nobility, substance and transmission in the last tercio.

Consuls Gate for Tomas Rufo

Tomas Rufo was the triumphant of this bullfight with three ears. If the last trophy arrived at the end of a significant effort after a minority petition, the bullfighter from Toledo made great efforts to compensate for the lack of class and the abrupt charge of the Victoriano del Rio. The final sword was exemplary and the "salida a hombros" was offered to him. But the essential thing is elsewhere. While he aroused the greatest hopes as a novillero and in his beginnings as matadors de toros, the Toledan experienced a mixed time in 2023.  This year, he finds all his talent and his classic toreo and without embellishment gets all the votes of aficionados. His first faena in front of a large Victoriano toro was a model of classicism. The series on both banks followed one another and each pass exuded the good toreo with deep passes from below drawing a superb arc of a circle.

All the beauty of simplicity by applying the canons of bullfighting. He ended the fight with a great sword and two undeniable ears rewarded him.

Emilio de Justo seemed to be feeling at times from his old injury and the tampon suffered in Madrid two days before. His first opponent let himself go but lacked dimension and he seemed to come through in force to recite his deep bullfighting. He then inherited a large toro where he made a faena with two ears. Power and depth are his trademark. But, he certainly lacks the finesse and artistic dimension to completely shine against this type of livestock. After a good sword on the second attempt, he ended up under the whistles after having multiplied his failures with steel.

The throne of El Juli recovered by Castella

If Andres Roca Rey is the indisputable number one and the only bullfighter who fills all the arenas in the world, El Juli left the bullfighting throne on which he had reigned firmly for fifteen years after his retirement last September in Seville. With his triumphs in Madrid, Mexico and Seville over the last twelve months and the dimension demonstrated by Sébastien Castella since the summer of 2023, the throne has not remained vacant for long. The Biterrois sat firmly on it.

His two bullfights in Nîmes demonstrated that his toreo has taken on an additional and exceptional dimension. He shines with his artistic dimension, his toreria in front of the bull, the slowness of his passes. He gives the impression of always finding the potential of each toro to extract its quintessence. His maturity and serenity are evident. He managed to cut off an ear from his first toro, without any notable quality, by finding the right rhythm and terrain to build a faena all in rhythm and temple.

He then inherited an excellent toro from Victoriano del Rio with bib 4 and he composed a new recital with five series on both banks with exquisite depth and rhythm with dimension magnificent artistic. The two ears and a 19th Porte des Consuls were already promised to him but success escaped with a blow.

Following his two performances in the amphitheater, Castella will approach his two meetings in Madrid with full confidence. In two days, he justified his presence four times for this Nîmes event 2 024.

The bullfight file

Arènes de N&icir;mes.

11 500 spectators.

Toros de Victoriano del Rio. Vuelta to 3rd.

Sébastien Castella : ear and view after advice.

Emilio de Justo: silence after one opinion and silence after two opinions.

Tomas Rufo: two ears and ear.