Western Force ended their Super 14 season on a low but coach John Mitchell was brimming with pride after the side's fighting 27-22 loss to the Sharks in Durban.

The Force pushed the in-form Sharks all the way, with James O'Connor initiating a fabulous try from behind his own try-line to put the Perth-based franchise within two points with 17 minutes to go.

But it was as close as the Force could get, with the Sharks closing out the match to post their seventh win from their past eight games.

The Force finished the season with just four wins to their name but Mitchell was proud of the effort put in against the Sharks.

"What a gutsy performance though, you wouldn't think that the game had nothing riding on it with the amount of stitches that exist and ice packs between both rooms," Mitchell said.

"I think that is a testament to both groups having a lot of pride.

"I thought their scrum pressure told at vital times.

"I thought we didn't adhere to the detail that we wanted to put on the Sharks and we probably made too many mistakes in the carry but there were more than enough opportunities presented for us to be in the match and probably steal the match."

Sharks winger Lwazi Mvovo opened the scoring with a try in the eighth minute but the Force sneaked out to a 12-7 lead eight minutes before half-time courtesy of two penalties each to O'Connor and Brett Sheehan.

Tries to No.8 Ryan Kankowski and flanker Jacques Botes either side of half-time had the Sharks in control at 25-15 before O'Connor's flair got the Force back within touch.

O'Connor, pinned behind his own try-line, dummied a kick before setting off for a dazzling run, where he beat two opponents before dishing off to Mitch Inman.

O'Connor followed the play, got the ball back and took it to the attacking 22m before being tackled to the ground.

Halfback Justin Turner was on hand for a quick recycle and winger Nick Cummins was the beneficiary, crossing untouched to give the Force hope of stealing the win.

But the Force couldn't muster another score as the Sharks maintained their composure to close out the win.

The Force's 2010 campaign was doomed from the start after a horror run of injuries led to a run of six straight losses from rounds 1-6.

The Force turned their fortunes around in the second half of the season, with wins over the Stormers, Highlanders, Crusaders and Lions just reward for hard work.

"Some things are out of our control, we had seven internationals injured at the start of the year and were bringing in 18-year-olds off the bench," Mitchell said.

"It has been a tough season but it has also been an enjoyable group to work with.

"I think the group showed an enormous amount of character. Eventually the Stormers win was a build up of three real character performances and then we gained confidence."

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