Five taurine gifts at Easter

El Rafi in the Arles arena (Image from elrafi.net)

Aficionados were spoilt for choice over the Easter weekend with corridas streamed from Arles, Málaga, Hellín and Sevilla, involving in all some 18 matadors. The five best espadas are listed below in order of importance of their respective performances.

1 Raphaël Raucoule El Rafi

The best performance of the weekend was also the most surprising, coming as it did from a 26-year-old French matador who fought only twice last year and who last cut an ear in September 2024. El Rafi was the French interest in an international ‘tres banderilleros’ closing cartel in Arles’s feria, appearing alongside Spain’s Manuel Escribano and Venezuela’s Jesús Enrique Colombo and facing Murteira Grave bulls from Portugal.

The young Frenchman’s first murteira emerged hooking strongly, but El Rafi nevertheless managed some fine verónicas con pies juntos, a media verónica and larga before the animal charged strongly to the picador. Las varas and El Rafi’s initial doblones produced an obedient bull in the faena, which was closed with naturales de frente, estatuarios and a good estocada, the matador earning an ear. But more was to come with his second animal, although El Rafi struggled to achieve anything notable with the capote on the bull’s right horn. After producing a spectacular closing poder a poder pair of banderillas, El Rafi embarked on the faena with ayudados por alto and derechazos, but it was really when he moved the muleta to his left hand that things came alive, the matador producing superb series of naturales with the cloth kept low and the bull following beautifully. There were more naturales de frente, then luquesinas, before El Rafi finished with a strong estocada and was deservedly awarded the bull’s two ears.

2 Daniel Luque

Arles’s other faena deserving and receiving two ears came from Daniel Luque on Easter Sunday, when a good string of Torrealta bulls was fought. The sevillano’s second animal charged cleanly and quickly. Daniel produced some terrific verónicas, a media and larga to begin with, then a faena that featured excellent series of derechazos and naturales, closing with impressive pases de pecho and coping well with his quick-turning foe. Further naturales ensued, Daniel citing for them Javier Conde-style with the tip of the reverse of his muleta on the ground before sweeping it across to bring the bull forward. He closed with more series of derechazos and also circulares, totally in charge. The faena’s length brought an aviso before Daniel concluded with a solid estocada, marking up another triumph alongside his success in Castellón’s feria.

3 Samuel Navalón

(Image by Plaza1)

The previous day at Hellín, Samuel Navalón followed up his triumph in Valencia’s Las Fallas with another salida a hombros after cutting three ears off his Alcurrucén bulls. He greeted his first bull with a larga cambiada de rodillas, going on to produce good verónicas, a revolera and chicuelinas. At the start of the faena, he was back on his knees, then up on his feet for derechazos until one of the bull’s hooves caught him, Navalón suffering a nasty trampling. A recovered matador reconvened for stretching naturales, derechazos and manoletinas sin ayuda, and a superb estocada brought him two ears. His second bull, despite causing a derribo, was lesser fare, being weak-legged. The confident capework comprised verónicas, chicuelinas and tafalleras, while the faena, begun with pases por la espalda, featured close derechazos and naturales, a desarme and some minor collisions before being brought to the end with another strong sword, bringing the third ear. The valenciano’s toreo is still too mannered for my liking, but there is no doubt that Samuel is a promising torero and his 2026 season has got off to an excellent start.

4 Tomás Rufo

Back at Arles on Easter Sunday, Tomás Rufo cut two ears, albeit one off each of his Torrealta bulls. His best performance was with the first animal, given some determined verónicas, a media and a revolera to start with. In banderillas, the bull showed a tendency to cut in. Rufo began the faena with half-kneeling then upright derechazos, only to be tossed in a pase de pecho, landing on his head. He recovered for series of curving derechazos and achieved some naturales despite the bull proving tricky on its left horn. Some more derechazos, the cloth held low, followed, together with a fully committed estocada. His second bull, a jabonero, was strong to the horse and more straightforward, Tomás producing derechazos, naturales, chest passes, circulares, a touch of arrimón, manoletinas and a mondeñina before a pinchazo and a three-quarters estocada, both delivered from off to the side.

5 José Antonio Morante de la Puebla

Morante on his Sevilla ‘comeback’ (Image from entretoros.com)

Sevilla’s Easter Sunday corrida marked Morante’s ‘return’ - the start of what, in fact, looks like becoming a sizable 2026 temporada for the sevillano - and he ended up as the corrida’s triunfador, winning two ears from his second Garcigrande bull. In truth, today’s garcigrandes were largely disappointing and Morante’s award, although petitioned for enthusiastically, was over the top. Nevertheless, with that second animal, José Antonio produced his singular verónicas, his chin on his chest and the cloth moved slowly, and a lovely sequence of torería taking the bull to los medios at the start of the faena. Some exquisite linked derechazos followed, but the bull’s energy had gone by the time Morante attempted naturales, the spectators having to make do instead with toreo por la cara before a decent estocada brought things to an end that had been dictated by the animal’s poor quality.