It's been eight years since Moore began his first-class coaching career with North Otago, and six months since he was appointed Highlanders coach to replace Greg Cooper.
Eight weeks of intensive training, two pre-season games and one internal trial later, he is hours away from making his professional coaching debut, in a competition where the separation of men from boys is determined in a swift and brutal fashion.
Chest-thumping messages about pride are nothing new in the sporting arena but Moore is sincere in his passion for the job he has been given and the desire for his radically revamped side to succeed.
‘‘I'm absolutely excited. And the theme I'm putting up to the boys is ‘this is for keeps now','' he told the Otago Daily Times. ‘‘I just want to see real commitment to the plans we've got in place. If we do that, and stick to our work, we can get the season off to a good start.
‘‘The challenge is getting everybody on the same sheet, and all wanting to go to the same destination. There's nothing like having to work hard together and knowing there is intense competition to make a team tight.''
It has been well documented that Moore has assembled a grab-bag of talent to replace the long list of top-class players who have left the Highlanders.
That brings with it the excitement of seeing fresh faces but also the fear they will struggle to step up to Super 14 level. ‘‘I'm reasonably satisfied with what I've seen. Of course there's more pressure now that we're in the competition,'' Moore said.
‘‘I've seen how these guys fight. I've seen them pull themselves together in the heat of a game. That's why I think they're going to step up.
‘‘People shouldn't forget that we might have a lot of new players but that doesn't mean we don't have some very talented footballers.''
A lack of stars and the presence of so many rookies has inevitably led to the Highlanders being dismissed by many as credible challengers for the title, or indeed, being called some distinctly unflattering names.
Moore doesn't want a bar of the underdog label and would rather his players feel obliged to perform well for their fans, not their critics.
Being written off ‘‘always adds a bit of fuel. But that can't be our overriding motivation because we'd lose our focus.
‘‘We've got a job to do. We've told the people in the franchise that we want them with us, and by putting that out there, we've put ourselves on notice that we have to front up and play.
‘‘The big thing is we have to stay focused on what we can do, and not bother about the pressure or what's being said about us.''
Moore has been delighted with the Highlanders' conditioning, pointing out they have finished both of their proper pre-season games strongly, including scoring five tries in the second half in the win against the Blues.
He's not unhappy to be on the road for the first two rounds, as it is an invaluable chance for a squad in its infancy to bond, further establish the team culture and focus purely on rugby.
There is no doubt the Highlanders, with five players on debut in the starting XV and a further four with fewer than 10 caps, are bursting out of their skins to play.
They will need to be urgent and accurate tonight, as it is vital they get early momentum and points, especially against two sides, the Reds and the Brumbies, who are not in the class of opposition to come.
The Reds were nothing short of awful last year, finishing bottom of the Super 14 and conceding an average of more than 30 points a game, but they look a reasonable side with their better players fit.
Fullback Chris Latham is the talisman of a new-look backline that also features former Wallabies centre Morgan Turinui and rising first five Berrick Barnes, while massive prop Rodney ‘‘Rodzilla'' Blake anchors a decent-sized and hard-working scrum.
Heat might be a factor, although the Highlanders had two days of strenuous acclimation work last week.
All that remains is to see if the Highlanders put in a performance to match their promises of a fresh start for the franchise.
