DEAN Ryan has handed a surprise recall to the Dragons’ most dangerous broken-field runner – but has warned against getting drawn into a frantic shoot-out with Bristol in tonight’s European Challenge Cup quarter-final.

Jordan Williams will line up at full-back against his former club at Ashton Gate in his first game since rupturing knee ligaments against Enisei-STM in Krasnodar last November.

READ MORE: The big match preview

The side-stepping 26-year-old provides the Dragons with a potent threat from deep and forms an exciting back three with Wales wing Jonah Holmes, who makes his debut, and Wales hopeful Ashton Hewitt.

With the visitors also boasting Six Nations star Nick Tompkins at outside centre, they have the ability to cause plenty of problems with ball in hand.

However, director of rugby Ryan will lean on the big-game experience of debutant Jamie Roberts with composure his key word of the training week in Ystrad Mynach.

They are taking on a Bristol side that play some thrilling rugby under Pat Lam, with the ability to go from coast to coast thanks to superstar backs Charles Piutau and Semi Radradra.

South Wales Argus:

The Bears thrashed fellow Premiership play-off hopefuls Northampton in a seven-try performance in their last outing at Ashton Gate and their style, with forwards’ expected to be adept at passing to get them in the wide channels, will stress the Dragons’ defence.

Staying calm under pressure and sticking to the game plan is key to Ryan’s hopes of an upset.

“They play a game that's got risk, and when you play a game that's got risk you cannot make it error-free,” said the former Bristol coach, who played with Lam at Newcastle.

“It's really important that we are aware of those opportunities to capitalise on it, but we can't also mimic the way that they play.

“That's the challenge because quite often they can pull sides into getting caught up and trying to do too much, then suddenly the game opens up and it's gone away.

South Wales Argus:

“I've watched some games when they have had bursts of 20 minutes when they have scored 25, 30 points. That's difficult to maintain, so we are going to have to sit in periods when we are under pressure.

“We will have to capitalise on their mistakes then try at some stage to have our 20 minutes when it's our pressure.

“It's a really difficult contest for us because I have seen a number of sides who have got sucked into the pressure by the game that they are able to play. Composure is going to be key for us.”

Ryan fields a strong team that has nine internationals in the XV with a combined tally of 217 caps.

The Dragons have lost lock Cory Hill to Cardiff Blues but are boosted by the Test knowhow of Holmes, Roberts and Tompkins.

“We have got some players who have been in at this level before that we would hope would show more composure,” said Ryan.

“That depends how much pressure we are under because Bristol can put incredible amounts of intensity into small bouts of the game.

“That can really distort the way that you think, you can think that you have to get it back in the next 10 minutes. We have to stay very, very composed.”