Told to get in shape and build his stamina by Hansen after he was left out of the squad, the 27-year-old former wrestler was summoned to replace senior prop Tony Woodcock who was ruled out with a hamstring injury after their final pool stage game.
After a journey that took him from New Zealand to Wales, via Los Angeles, Moody was named on the bench for last weekend's quarter-final with France in Cardiff.
Called into the fray in the first half when Wyatt Crockett hobbled off, Moody seized the chance to impress and even showed it is not just the slick All Black backs that can offload when he set up Tawera Kerr-Barlow's second try.
His reward has been a place in the starting side against the Springboks after injury ruled out Crockett.
Hansen went as far as saying Moody, who will win his 10th cap, had "turned up in magnificent condition".
"I'm chuffed. Got to make the most of every opportunity I get," Moody told reporters on Thursday.
"Steve's key message to me, when I was told that I wasn't going to be in the squad, was just to go away and work on my fitness and that.
"Back at Canterbury (Crusaders) I've been doing extras after training."
Described on New Zealand's website (www.allblacks.com) as "the next tank off the rank" from Canterbury, Moody is a former freestyle wrestling champion who won a junior Commonwealth Games bronze medal before deciding he could make more of a career in rugby than in the ring.
Transferring the grapple and grunt to the scrum, Moody can still call on a wrestling trick or two. Only he cannot go too far.
"I can use a little bit of it in clean outs and the breakdown and that but not too much otherwise I'd be on the sidelines with yellow cards," he joked.
Moody is braced for a titanic battle with the Springboks front row.
"Every time we play them we know it's going to be a physical encounter up front. We're not expecting any different," he said.
"We've done our homework, we know what to expect from them."
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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