Heavy rain on the final day of Rally Australia has thrown the race wide open, with leader Thierry Neuville’s 20-second lead more-than-halved after two early-morning stages.

The Belgian holds a nine-second advantage over Jari-Matti Latvala, with Ott Tanak a further 11.4sec adrift and New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon making a late surge for the podium in fourth.

Craig Breen rolled his Citroen and teammate Stephane Lefebvre hit a tree on another eventful morning, with both drivers unharmed but out of the rally.

About 23km of racing remains before a winner is crowned, with wet weather set to continue throughout the morning.

M-Sport’s Sebastien Ogier, sitting fifth and more than two minutes off the pace, is assured of his fifth world title regardless of Sunday’s outcome.