The Canadian men's rugby 15s team landed the last spot in the 2019 Rugby World Cup tournament, beating Hong Kong in a last-chance qualifying game on Friday in a victory Rugby Canada says has financial implications for Canada's teams.

There was roughly $10-million hanging in the balance, Rugby Canada chair Tim Powers told CBC Radio's All In A Day.

"Had we not qualified for the world cup, our funding would have been cut severely," he said.

"It wouldn't just have affected [this team], it would have affected the whole organization because that money flows down."

The men's 15s team has never failed to qualify for the World Cup, but this year, the road was particularly tough — the side squeaked through into the championship tournament at the last minute, having twice failed to qualify this year.

Long, controversial road to World Cup

The path to this point has not been an easy one for Rugby Canada.

Earlier this year, the organization raised fees for players across the country and combined its formerly separate player pools into one for both the 15s and the sevens, in a bid to raise funds for the World Cup bid.

Centralizing the pool came alongside several other changes to the men's rugby sevens player contract, including a significant drop in their appearance bonus for the Canada Sevens tournament in Vancouver — from $5,000 to $500.

It was what was necessary at the time. - Rugby Canada chair Tim Powers on fees, restructuring

The moves sparked backlash and a now-ended boycott from several men's rugby sevens players, who claimed the changes marginalized their team.

Powers said he hopes to be able to find a way to repay the players in Canada's rugby organization for the financial part they played in the road to the World Cup for the 15s.

"It was what was necessary at the time," he said. "I think the rugby community will judge us … on how we govern ourselves going forward and what we do to improve the calibre and quality in the opportunities at youth rugby. "

Challenges ahead

Canada was the last team to qualify for the World Cup and will face a tough pool in the tournament, facing off against the top-ranked New Zealand team and 5th-ranked South Africa.

Canada's men's 15s team is currently ranked 21st in the world.

Kanata resident Eric Howard plays for the team and was on the field in the final minutes of the game. He said the Rugby Canada push for the team's success had him ready to take the field on Friday.

"The past year and a half, we've been building and building," he said. "You take a deep breath, you tell yourself you're ready for what's going to happen, and then you go out and do your thing."

Howard said the victory meant the world to him.

"We live to play in games like these," he told All In A Day.

The 2019 World Cup will take place in Japan in September next year.