YORK City Knights have got a problem.

Ignore the result. The visitors may have celebrated exuberantly in the dressing room afterwards, but York's 28-26 defeat to Leeds Rhinos' Academy is as irrelevant as friendlies always are.

What is more of a concern, given the Knights' first foray into competitive action is just six days away, is the way they played after player-coach Paul March was forced from the fray at half-time with a suspected broken hand.

With him and brother David pulling the strings, York looked a very capable outfit - exposing, probing and picking out the gaps in a talented Leeds 13.

Once he'd been removed, uncertainty reigned, the Knights became ragged and lost their shape and the Leeds youngsters were good enough to take advantage.

March's influence in the opening 40 minutes had been all the more important after a rare blunder from the boss got this game off to the worst possible start.

Barely 40 seconds had elapsed on York's first set of six when March saw his kick blocked - the ball spiralling in the air and into the hands of the on-rushing Danny Allan, and the York-born stand-off was able to stroll in unopposed.

It was a nervy first few minutes for the home side who seemed a little taken aback by the size, physicality and power tackling of the visitors.

Gradually, however, they began to find their stride and Paul March was at the heart of the Knights' opening score on ten minutes, taking a ball from twin brother David on the left-hand side and pitching a little pass to centre Steve Lewis who evaded a tackle to touch down in the corner.

Putting together a couple of inventive and nice moves, it came as no surprise when York took the lead six minutes later following a sweeping manoeuvre, which again involved both March brothers along with Scott Rhodes and Andy Gargan.

The ball filtered left to right before hitting Lee Mapals in stride on the touchline and he won the foot race to the line.

With March commanding, York began to exploit some emerging gaps in the academy side's defence, but their next try still came following a moment of individual brilliance.

Ross Divorty looked wrapped up when given the ball by Rhodes close to the Leeds line, but he produced a quite sensational offload back to the skipper which allowed David March to bundle over.

York led 12-6, and would have had more, had it not been for some awful goal-kicking. And Leeds made them pay by tying the scores on 27 minutes.

It was a fortuitous try - the ball bouncing into the in-goal area after Ryan Esders ripped it from the grasp of Rhinos centre Jodie Broughton. It jumped up kindly for the visitors and Broughton nipped back in after going into touch and crashed down.

Parity didn't last long. Two minutes before the break, David Leeke finished off a move in the left-hand corner after Paul March found a thundering Lewis and he delayed his inside pass long enough to give the wing the opening he needed.

The Knights looked set at half-time but when March didn't reappear for the second period, his troops were immediately on the back foot. They were undone just three minutes after the break, when a Simon Brown high bomb fell to James Archibald who produced a basketball-style reverse pass inside to Kalum Watkins, who crossed.

This see-saw swing continued when David March scored his second try after some poor Leeds handling - Leeke supplying the pass, but Danny Grimshaw's conversion attempt was more sideways than towards the posts.

Rhinos saw this as the time to take control, Watkins grabbing his second score on 56 minutes after taking an Allan lateral and throwing a dummy so extravagant, it completely fooled three York defenders and allowed him to walk in.

Broughton notched up his brace with 18 minutes left and, although Luke Watling grabbed a try with seconds left, which they finally managed to convert through Lee Mapals, the game was already lost.

Knights: Grimshaw, Mapals, Esders, Lewis, Leeke, Rhodes, Paul March, Applegarth, David March, Ekis, Divorty, Wilcox-Harrison, Gargan.

Subs (all used): Watling, Hodgson, Blaney, Kelly, Ferris, Steerman, Endersby, Woodcock.

Leeds Rhinos: Sheldrake, Jones-Bishop, Broughton, Watkins, Archibald, Allan, Brown, Jones, McShane, Thackray, Brown, Howey, Worrall.

Subs (all used): Fox, Clarkson, Hardbottle, Elkington, Lawton, Ely.

Referee: Peter Brooke (Hull).

Attendance: 833.