Intro:

Sebastien Ogier takes the lead in the Rally Italia Sardegna in Saturday's afternoon stages.

Script:

France's Sebastien Ogier moved into the lead in the Rally Italia Sardegna afternoon stages on Saturday.

The two-time defending champion finished the morning in second place but a win in stage 17 and coming second in stage 18 secured top spot.

The Volkswagen driver led Hayden Paddon by 26.8 seconds with two stages to go on day three.

New Zealander Paddon had been on top for most of the rally but lost precious time after spinning his Hyundai on stage 17.

Gearbox problems later in the day meant the Kiwi will be struggling to hold on for a podium finish.

Mads Ostberg continued his slow climb up the timesheets on Saturday afternoon.

The Norwegian steered his Citroen to second place on stage 17 before winning stage 18 to move into third place overall, two minutes and 22.9 seconds off Ogier's lead.

Belgian Thierry Neuville moved up into fourth overall despite spinning early on.