Tigers head coach Matt O'Connor, quoted in the Daily Telegraph, said: "He wants to be in, he wants to be playing, he wants to be in the environment because it has been a real saviour for him over the past two or three years.

"He wants to make sure that he keeps fulfilling those obligations because it has been so positive for him.

"He has used it as an escape in certain regards over the course of Tiff's illness. He understands that he needs to continue that.

"The captaincy is another part of that but we have been very flexible around it. It's entirely on his terms. He's tried to be in when he can but not to the point where he is compromised anywhere else, but he will be playing on Saturday.

"Given the rock he has been over the season with the coaching situation, he has been a phenomenal strength for the playing group and he wants to continue that through."

O'Connor backed Ben's decision to withdraw from Lions duties, saying: "He had the full support of the club, and everyone who is significant to him reinforced that decision, so it was a pretty easy one for him.

"His commitment to the club and to his brother and his family are probably a lot more significant than the Lions, to be honest."