Belgium joined overnight leaders South Korea at the top of the leaderboard midway through a wet and a windy second day of the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf.
Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters had started the day a shot behind the Koreans, Australia and England but picked up two shots in ten holes of foursomes to get to 11 under on a day of very difficult conditions.
Byeong-hun An and Si Woo Kim turned in 35 to also sit at 11 under, two clear of the English pair of Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, and Italians Renato Paratore and Andrea Pavan.
Mexico and India were then at eight under as the wind and rain continued to batter The Metropolitan Golf Club.
Long putts were the order of the day in the early stages, with India's Anirban Lahiri holing a monster on the first to get himself and Gaganjeet Bhullar within one of the lead.
The conditions were playing havoc and all three of the overnight leaders dropped shots after getting in bunker trouble on the first to make it a six-way tie at nine under.
Italy were just one back after Paratore made a very long birdie putt on the first and they moved into a share of the lead with another gain on the fourth.
Mexico had birdied the second and sixth and Abraham Ancer rolled home from just off the green at the ninth to help them turn in 33 and sit a shot off the lead.
Italy had dropped a shot after three-putting from just off the green at the fifth but Pavan hit back from 12 feet on the seventh.
Their roller coaster continued as they dropped a shot on the eighth and when Lahiri sent India's third on the fifth over the back of the green, the leading group was down to three.
Belgium had started with six pars but a lovely pitch from Pieters on the seventh set up a birdie and they hit the front at ten under.
The Italians played the par-five ninth in textbook fashion, getting on the green in two and down in two more, and that had them in a four-way tie for the lead when Detry missed a short one on the eighth.
England made five pars in a row but as the rain relented Hatton rolled home a ten-footer on the seventh and they led by a single shot.
Bhullar then holed from five feet as India made the most of the ninth to get within one.
South Korea had done well to save par on the seventh and they took full advantage on the next, Kim holing from distance to move them back into a share of the lead.
That became a three-way tie when Pieters again showed his short-game skills, hitting a lovely deft chip on the ninth and Detry tidied up for a birdie.
The rain returned the hardest it had been all day and India dropped a shot on the tenth to fall to eight under, a shot clear of Australia, Ireland and Malaysia.
Pieters' iron -play was on point and an approach to eight feet at the tenth set up another birdie and Belgium took the solo lead.
South Korea got on the ninth green in two and while Kim sent their first putt just over the back, An made the return to put them into a share of the lead.
That was two clear of playing partners England, who got in all kinds of trouble down the right and dropped a shot.
