Twelve months ago flying wing Bryan Habana was one of the Bulls' aces in the hole, this time around he is in the opposition in Saturday's Super 14 final at Soweto.
The Bulls know only too well the danger Habana represents.
Springbok and former Bulls team-mate Victor Matfield told keo.co.za: "Bryan playing us is not an issue for the team."
"We know we'll have to look at him and keep an eye on him, but that's just because he's a special player. It's just like we're playing any other side, there are always two or three guys like that in a team that you have to be wary of."
Habana will be up against a lively replacement in Gerhard van den Heever, who had scored eight tries in the competition before having to sit out a two-game ban.
Matfield is confident the 21-year-old win can handle the pressure of the final and marking Habana.
"That's why his name is 'Shadow', you don't see him or hear him at training. He's just kept to himself, which is his usual build-up," he said.
"He'll be marking a guy who he's looked up to, but he must focus on his game. There will also be loads of experience around him, so that will help."
Meanwhile, Bulls coach Frans Ludeke knows that if his side is to claim consecutive Super 14 titles it must take the highly effective Stormers defence out of the equation, as much as is possible.
"They're physical and accurate at the gain [advantage] line and they don't commit a lot of numbers to rucks, they back the guys who get there to make an impact. It's simple but very effective," he said.
"They've got a system that they clearly believe in. The challenge for us is to be strong in contact so we get the go-forward we need and get some momentum into our attacks and create try-scoring opportunities."
The best defence vs best attack debate didn't rouse him.
"It's only stats, none of it will count in the final," he said.
"This is a new game and all that will matter is who is able to execute best over the 80 minutes. We've had a whole season as a dress rehearsal for Saturday - how to get out of tight situations when you're under pressure and so on. So we're pretty confident we're prepared."
The Bulls would expect anything from the Stormers because they had revealed their ability to switch styles during the season.