The Highlanders opened their Super 14 campaign against the old enemy, the Crusaders, with a reasonably promising performance but a familiar 32-17 loss.
Moore felt his side paid for its slow start though he was pleased with the way the players hung in and then got back into the game.
"When we had the ball, and we attacked, and we looked after it, we showed some good signs," Moore said.
"We just need more of the same next week. We've just got to play some football and back our structures. I think we've clearly got a lot more to work with this year.
"In that first half we just did not play any football. We spent a lot of time defending which at times we did quite well but in saying that we had three clear opportunities we created in the first half. We needed the momentum from those to get us in the game."
Michael Hobbs impressed when he came on, and Moore said he had spoken to the inside back during the week abut the need to take the line on and run hard and take some short balls.
He had done that well, and Moore said he was pleased with his performance.
Hobbs replaced Mathew Berquist, who had a hamstring injury.
No 8 Nasi Manu left the game early with a knee injury and was later hobbling around on crutches.
Cowan said the Highlanders were slow out of the blocks, and paid the price.
The team had come back well but he paid credit to the Crusaders defence, which he said scrambled well.
"The signs are there and we have the right structure in place but we just have to finish it off and put teams away," Cowan said.
"We've got the platform there and when we got a bit of pill we can put our game together."
Cowan felt the breakdown was still messy and not much had appeared to have changed from last year.
The Highlanders have a short turn-around as they host the Blues, stinging from Friday night's 34-20 loss to the Hurricanes, at Carisbrook on Friday night.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes and Chiefs showed their pragmatic sides in a fairly predictable first round of Super 14 over the weekend, NZPA reported.
The Blues and Highlanders, the least-favoured of the New Zealand sides, suffered defeats while the strongest sides in South Africa and Australia notched wins in contrasting styles.
Unusually, the Crusaders were the only home side to emerge victorious but they are second on the table to the defending champions the Bulls, who raised a half century against 2009 wooden spooners the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
But it is perhaps the Chiefs who will emerge happiest after week one, snaring the closest thing to an upset with their last-gasp 19-18 defeat of the Sharks in Durban yesterday.
First five-eighth Stephen Donald landed a penalty after the final hooter to follow a crucial conversion of the game's only try three minutes from time as his team overcame a dour Sharks side and frightfully wet, muggy conditions.
New Zealand referee Keith Brown was the arch villain in the crowd's eyes, with either he or Donald the target of a spectator's jug of beer as the No 10 lined up to convert second five-eighth Jackson Willison's late try.
The Bulls stuttered at times but had too many weapons for the Cheetahs in a six-try performance notable for the lights going out for a period midway through the second half.
First five-eighth Morne Steyn landed 21 points with the boot plus a try.
It was not so pretty for Lions No 10 Carlos Spencer in his team's 26-13 loss to the Stormers in Johannesburg.
His team trailing 26-6 at half-time, Spencer was replaced by coach Dick Muir and the home side produced a better second half although it never threatened to catch the visitors.
The Waratahs needed a last-minute try to Wallabies loose forward Wycliff Palu to beat bitter rivals the Reds 30-28 in Brisbane.
A Brumbies side missing injured first five-eighth Matt Giteau was still too good for the Western Force in Perth, its 24-15 win perhaps the most uninspiring fixture of a lively opening weekend.
