Canada West scored a try from a line out and maul in the 42nd minute of the second half to break a 15-15 deadlock and win the first match of the IRB North America 4 20-15 against rivals Canada East.
Canada East, powered by tries from outside centre Carl Pocock of Calgary and Newfoundland's Rob Wilson, seemed to enjoy the measure of play in the first half, though the generous wind at their back acted as a 16th man to counter any hopes of a West attack.
East fly half Dean Blanks and his West counterpart Steve Piatek traded penalties to give Canada East a 15-3 lead at half time.
After the break, however, it was West who enjoyed the buffeting wind and kept East at bay for long stretches and Piatek slotted four penalties to draw West level with 15 minutes to go.
As the clock nudged into extra time, an offside penalty against East gave the West their chance. Piatek kicked to touch and from the lineout Luke Cudmore took control and Riordan muscled the ball clear to score the winning try.
"I couldn't believe it," said East Coach Simon Blanks, shaking his head after the match. "We worked so hard this week on the last 20 minutes of the game being solid and mistake free, but there it happens again."
West Coach John Tait was mixed in his appreciation of his side's performance.
"I was disappointed with the first half, we were loose in contact and didn't do the simple things well," said Tait, who was standing in for usual West coach Tony Medina.
"There was a lot of stop-start but we played a little better with the wind behind our backs."
Scorers:
Canada East
Tries: Carl Pocock, Rob Wilson
Conversions: Dean Blanks
Penalty: Dean Blanks
Canada West
Try: Pat Riordan
Penalties: Steve Piatek (5)
