England hooker Dylan Hartley could be out of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia after being sent off in Northampton’s 37-17 defeat by Leicester in the English Premiership final at Twickenham on Saturday.

Hooker Hartley saw red when he allegedly accused referee Wayne Barnes of cheating as a fractious match neared half-time and the incident overshadowed Leicester’s first title since 2010.

Barnes had previously warned Hartley about inappropriate language but, when the Northampton captain apparently accused the official of favouring Leicester, he was sent off.

Hartley could be banned for up to a year but will have to wait for the Rugby Union’s disciplinary process to kick in.

The Lions fly to Hong Kong on Monday and a spokesman for the tourists indicated to reporters at Twickenham that coach Warren Gatland wanted all players to be available for the match in Perth against the Western Force on June 5, the second of the trip after the first game against the Barbarians in the Far East next week.

Hartley’s track record may count against him – he has been banned three times since 2007, twice for gouging – and although the Lions emphasised the matter was out their hands for the time being, any suspension of two weeks or more would rule him out of the entire trip.

The rumpus overshadowed a see-saw match between local rivals with Leicester bidding to win the title after being runners-up for the past two years.