On the back of a disappointing 31-3 loss to Brumbies, the Highlanders moved to the Gold Coast yesterday to lick their wounds and start focusing on the final game of the season, against the Reds in Brisbane.
Moore's team was well off the pace in Canberra on Saturday night, with the Brumbies scoring four tries to keep themselves in contention for a semifinal.
Any talk of semifinals is a distant memory for the Highlanders, who are arguably about to complete the worst season in their history.
In 1997, they finished bottom in what was then a 12-team competition, winning just three games.
This year, in an expanded competition, the Highlanders are 13th - having won just three games - sitting just above the hapless Lions.
With one game to go, it is shaping as an annus horribilis for the franchise, which had big aims this season.
Continuity of selection had given hope of a top-six finish this season.
Coach Moore, though, remained upbeat when contacted yesterday, saying there was still a lot to play for, but bemoaning his side's inability to put together a run of performances.
"We have just not been consistent enough.
I thought after the Chiefs game, which we should have won, we had a good run of games.
We played particularly well in a couple of them, against the Hurricanes and then the Waratahs, but we let it slip," Moore said.
"We've had a poor run with injuries, especially to some of our key front-line players and that has taken a toll. But that is no excuse."
Moore has one more year on his contract, while assistant coach Peter Russell's contract finishes after this season.
Assistant coach Barry Matthews, who works mainly on defence and players' individual skills, is on a one-year deal.
Moore's future will come under scrutiny but the coach said he was "totally committed" to the team and the franchise.
"I'm still enjoying it, absolutely. I'm loving it. I'm passionate about this team and this franchise."
The side was down to the bare bones with players injured, Moore said, and had been like that for several weeks.
Moore said the Highlanders just did not perform against the Brumbies.
"We had a big travel day to get here, 12 hours, but we had prepared well and the guys were on edge for the match. But we just did not play well enough.
There were some good passes there but we missed far too many tackles and let them in."
It was a puzzle how the Highlanders could smash the Waratahs in Invercargill, and then a week later play so poorly against the Brumbies.
"We just did not front in the areas that we needed to. We spent a lot of time defending and that can really take a lot out of you. They did target the areas which we targeted last week and they got quick recycled ball, which is hard to defend against."
The Highlanders will spend three days in the Gold Coast, before moving to Brisbane in the middle of the week.
The Reds, now sitting in seventh place and a long shot to make the semifinals, will want to finish their season with a win.
They conceded 31 points in the second half against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night to lose 44-21.
The Hurricanes now play the Waratahs in Sydney on Friday night in a virtual quarterfinal.
The Waratahs beat an inept Chiefs outfit 46-19 in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The Crusaders will play the Brumbies on Friday night in another virtual quarterfinal.
The Crusaders make the long haul back from South Africa after losing 40-35 in the final minute to the Bulls in Pretoria.
The Stormers lost their chance to secure a semifinal when they lost 20-14 to the Sharks in Durban yesterday.
The Blues beat the Lions 56-14 in Johannesburg while the Cheetahs picked up their fourth win of the season, beating the Force 29-14 in Bloemfontein.
