Will Skinner reports from England Saxons' Churchill Cup triumph:

We knew when we came out here that there would be some pretty tough challenges to face if we were to repeat last year's performances and retain the Barclays Churchill Cup.

We knew that playing Scotland A required us to make that step up and we did that.

The final was definitely our toughest test, we really had to front up. But all the guys delivered.

I'm very proud of the boys for the heartfelt performances they put in.

The Scots put us under kosh in the first 20 minutes and we pulled the boys in, talked about playing with a bit more patience and looking after the ball a bit better.

I didn't necessarily want to make it tighter but just to make sure we used the opportunities that we got.

We were able to get a great try though some great skills from Ollie Smith and then add a few more points to stay in contention in the second half.

I think a lot of the guys can be really pleased with the performances they put in, in the final and throughout the tournament.

The England Elite Player Squad for next season gets picked on July 1.

Getting in that has been at the back of all our minds. Now we've done our bit - from here on, it's just up to Martin Johnson and the coaches.

All we can do now is sit on the edge of our seats waiting.

I say that metaphorically though as I'm off to Portugal with my girlfriend for a week's holiday on Wednesday.

I'm looking forward to getting some rest before I go back into pre-season training.

Looking back at the tournament, one of the things I enjoyed the most was being able to learn more about some of the players I didn't know so well.

I've played with a lot of them through the age groups and for Saxons last year. We're comfortable with each other and the style we play.

As well as helping us at club level, when we come up against each other, it really important in tournament situations, where you don't get much preparation time.

If you're used to each other it's much easier to fit together and come gel on the pitch.

Obviously one of the guys I know best is my Quins team mate Chris Robshaw.

I thought Robbo had a really good game but his performance on the microphone on the coach afterwards was frankly dreadful!

As is tradition, the boys made him get up the front and sing his new cap song on the way back to the hotel.

I've never heard Build me up buttercup sound quite that bad!

He gave it a good shot but it was probably the worst singing I have ever heard.

Luckily he wasn't up there for too long as he was shouted at to sit down after about 10 seconds!

After that we were glad to get back to the hotel and off the bus for a quick change.

We had a few beers - or in the case of the London Irish boys, Malibu and pineapples - at the hotel before jumping back on the coach to head into town.

Being so far out we haven't had a chance to see much of Chicago but we managed to find a really good bar that played traditional Irish music.

After three hard weeks of work it was good to relax as a team and enjoy each other's company and of course celebrate what we came over here to do - bringing back the trophy!