First and foremost I do hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and followed the script in terms of eating, and drinking, just a little too much and enjoying watching those around you open their presents as well as receiving a few gifts of your own. Of course it was an extremely busy time for our Aviva Premiership teams and for the second to last time this calendar year let's review the domestic action in full.
The evening of Friday 23rd December was a pressured night for Northampton Saints and instead of wilting under the intensity of the spotlight on them they pulled it out of the bag. The Saints' performance was one filled with real gumption and it was great to see. In every regard Tom Wood led by example and during his 69 minutes on the field he made 22 tackles and drove the squad through his own actions and leadership. Defensively Courtney Lawes also stepped up and in the middle of the park Stephen Myler and JJ Hanrahan worked well together. No doubt Saints' early score would have settled a few nerves that were jangling around and as a whole they handled the occasion well. Conversely Sale Sharks’ performance concerned me a touch as they lacked any real cut through and the ability to get good, quick ball to their backs. Newbies Josh Charnley and Denny Solomona are dangerous players, the latter showed that with his out of this world finish, but they can’t influence a game with zero ball. Without a doubt Sale need their half-backs to step up and start bossing matches or they’ll continue to deliver a limited amount of effective rugby. Sale had 62% territory and and made double the number of carries as Northampton yet those carries didn’t deliver the metres required or challenge Saints’ defence. It’s onwards and upwards for Saints while there’s a spot of work to do for Sale. 
Once again Newcastle Falcons proved that they are ticking along nicely as they made Saracens think about their victory at Allianz Park. However Mark McCall’s side are experienced enough not to let a good challenge faze them and instead did what we’ve seen them do countless times and secure the victory they needed. Of course the headlines since have all pointed at Chris Ashton as it was his late try, on his return from his ban, that sealed the deal for the home side. Without question that try will have felt fantastic for the winger and I guarantee that he'll keep on delivering them until he leaves for the Cote D'Azur at the end of the season. The Falcons will be pleased with how they battled and really made their hosts think and just need to continue to increase their finishing rate in terms of converting their chances into points. Dean Richards head back to Kingston Park to hosts Wasps, a challenge they must relish, while Saracens are off to Welford Road for a good old ding-dong! 
Matches between Wasps and Bath are always fixtures that keep you glued to the screen or to what's going on in front of you and Christmas Eve's followed suit. The match fizzed from the off as we saw both sides set out their stalls with high paced rugby. While Bath were still in the game at the break it was their own errors after it that meant chances to wrestle back the momentum and points went begging. That will be something that they are frustrated about and I expect them to sharpen up that area at The Rec against Exeter on New Year's Eve. Conversely Wasps took their opportunities well, their backline is absolutely lethal and after a bit of a try doubt Christian Wade will be happy that his tries arrived like London buses! Bath definitely deserved their losing bonus-point but it was Wasps that sent the louder message to Saracens that they have real competition for the top spot (and perhaps title) if the season continues in this manner. 
At Sandy Park Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs provided the home crowd with the perfect Christmas present as their bonus-point victory firmly put to bed the difficult start that they had endured to this Premiership season. The Chiefs put everything into the opening of the game to ensure that they had the cushion that they wanted and from just had to make sure that they managed the game well to deliver the W. Richard Cockerill's Leicester Tigers didn’t fire from the off and we all know that in this competition that doesn't cut the mustard Whatever the reason for that it needs to be eradicated before they take on Saracens at Welford Road because the reigning Champions are one of the best in the business at punishing sides. On Christmas Eve the Chiefs’ composure and belief in their own processes and abilities came through and it was a pleasing result for all concerned with the West Country side.
After the delights of Christmas day Bristol Rugby and Worcester Warriors had the task of duelling on Boxing Day. This game was always going to be massive for both sides and when Tusi Pisi received a red card after just 12 minutes it looked like Bristol's early ambition was about to take a nose dive. However as we’ve often seen the card actually galvanised the hosts and they showed tremendous heart and character to hold firm. Throughout the course of the match Bristol created more opportunities and played with greater precision and accuracy than their visitors. Worcester should have taken hold of the game immediately after the red card but they didn’t and that will disappoint Carl Hogg greatly. Tom Varndell had the type of game that Bristol signed him for as he showcased the full extent of his experience and finishing skills. It was a vital win for Bristol and could be a significant moment in the Premiership season. 
The final match of Round 11 took place at Twickenham Stadium as supporters filled the home of England Rugby for Harlequins' Big Game 9. The packed house looked forward to a Christmas cracker and instead the first half was filled with set pieces and little more. Joe Marchant's try and the boot of Ruaridh Jackson gave the hosts their half-time lead but at the break we all prayed for a better second half because the first wasn't anything to write home about. Thankfully the rugby gods heard us because the second forty minutes gave us so much more to enjoy. Two tries each ignited our viewing and then when Motu Matu'u scored for Gloucester just after Jack Clifford had been sin-binned the box office finish was set. The Cherry and Whites pressed until the final move of the game but ran out of room on the field and the game finished in Harlequins' favour. The W is vital for John Kingston's side because before long they'll be losing all of their internationals again while for Gloucester it was another 'nearly match' to add to their collection. They certainly deserved their bonus point and their attentions now focus on hosting Northampton Saints on New Year's Day. 