France scored 11 tries through eight players over the course of 80 minutes to finish their Women’s Summer Series with a clean sweep.
Previously beating Wales and Scotland in Parma, the side had to recover from a slow start which saw England open the scoring in the fourth minute.
Steph Else was the scorer, the Gloucester-Hartpury back-row forward powering across the whitewash moments after her offload helped Jorja Battishill get inches out.
That lead did not stand the test of time.
As has been the case throughout Summer Series, France’s potent backline produced the goods yet again from the back of a steady scrum.
Enoe Neri’s leg drive through contact helped the centre break free before offloading to midfield partner Hawa Tounkara to dot down unopposed.
With honours even again the two teams went back to testing one another’s defences.
Having gone behind early, France began building a commanding lead at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi when Marie Morland latched onto a stray Millie Hyett pass in midfield and charge across the try line.
France extended their lead with a free-flowing score for full-back Arbey, although England hit back when Niamh Swailes benefitted from a strong lineout maul.
On the stroke of half-time France scored their fourth of the night in Parma three minutes after Mae Levy kept the scoreline ticking with a well-struck penalty.
It was a score made by scrum-half Eneka Labeyrie. Surging up the pitch, French possession landed the side within five metres.
As England set their defence, the half-back spotted Suliana Sivi unmarked and fizzed the ball wide for the wing to score.
That quick thinking was not in short supply as the game resumed after the break.
Within a minute Cleo Hagel had broken down the right flank as the scrum provided stable foundations to launch an attack.
In the next 20 minutes France created an unassailable lead for England to chase.
Labeyrie crossed the try line after combining with the uncatchable Sivi, who added a second to her personal tally just two minutes later with another scything run down the left touchline.
To continue their dominance France’s Marion Zdzioblo made the most of a series of hard carries to score beneath the posts.
England did not kick the resulting restart 10 metres and were left reeling from that error when the scrum provided the launchpad for Arbey to score her second.
Arbey registered her hat-trick nine minutes later, while Anna De Almeida kept the scoreboard ticking over as England’s defence failed to deal with the pace at which their opponents were playing.
The replacement scrum-half’s score proved to be France’s final of the game, while England concluded their time in Italy with a try for replacement hooker Lucy Calladine from the back of another strong set-piece drive.
