Thorn feels AU will soon be on par with Aotearoa

Reds coach Brad Thorn feels the scratchy standard of Super Rugby AU will continue to improve as teams build back into form after their long competitive layoffs.

The Australian competition has compared unfavourably to the New Zealand tournament derbies, but Thorn felt there were better times ahead.

The former All Black forward said jumping straight into competition without any trials after a three-month hiatus had contributed to the average standard.

"The teams are just getting started and getting used to a few things," Thorn said.

"You look at the New Zealand competition, they're really humming along now.

"I imagine with our competition in the next week or two, we'll really start to see more and more rugby played and the quality will continue to improve."