"They are a very, very good side. They're very structured, very organised and a typical Australian,
and Steven Larkham coached, side," he said.
"They know what they're doing phase one to three which is where teams build pressure off set-piece."
In capable hands, and with a few stints of brilliance off his boot, Bowden notched up all of the Blues 13 points in the first half.
A Christian Lealiifano miss at goal directly in front of the sticks looked to reset the mood for an ailing Brumbies side, whose handling errors led them astray in the first half, but kept the Blues ahead 13-0 at halftime.
After a good dabble with possession and territorial gains deep inside the Brumbies half, the Blues set piece wasn't firing on all cylinders, with several opportunities at the tryline going amiss.
But up stepped Bowden.
The Blues had been banking on the set piece to fire in the build up to this week's game and their execution of second and third phase ball finally payed off.
Five minutes out from the halftime siren, Bowden showed a streak of sheer determination and white line fever, pacing down the right flank to dot down in the corner.
A Lausii Taliauli try got the Brumbies back into the match in the second half.
Lealiifano also made amends for his momentary lapse in concentration, slotting a penalty kick to edge the Brumbies ahead 14-13.
Ihaia West relieved Bowden of first-five duties 66 minutes into the game and a scrappy start saw the young Hawke's Bay pivot take a while to settle in.
However, his nerves of steel were apparent as he took on one of the toughest penalty kicks of his career.
With Brumbies loose forward David Pocock joining the ruck incorrectly, and with minutes to spare, the Blues opted to give West a chance to break their losing hoodoo.
His conversion was successful -and the jubilant response from the crowd expressed many weeks of frustration had finally been exhausted, the Blues winning 16-14.
Sir John Kirwan says he couldn't watch West's attempt at goal.
"I thought that was the class of the man. He went out there and nailed.
"He'll remember that for a long time and so will I."
The Blues now face a tough challenge on the road as they head to Dunedin to take on the Highlanders next week.
Blues 16 (Dan Bowden try, con, 2 pens; Ihaia West pen)
Brumbies 14 (Lausii Taliauli try; Christian Lealiifano 3 pens)
HT: 13-0