Actress Emma Watson took to Twitter Tuesday to praise English rugby star Keegan Hirst who recently came out as gay.

The Batley Bulldogs captain is the first professional rugby player to have come out publicly as gay.

Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. / … Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death, / while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. @KeeganHirst #gotboth“

Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation.

— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) August 18, 2015

…. Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death,

— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) August 18, 2015

while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. @KeeganHirst #gotboth

— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) August 18, 2015

Watson also followed Hirst on Twitter, leaving him a bit gobsmacked, as did a follow from noted British comedian Stephen Fry. Hirst tweeted, “Massive thanks to @stephenfry and @EmWatson for the follow. Surreal or what.”

🙈😶 Massive thanks to @stephenfry and @EmWatson for the follow. Surreal or what

— Keegan Hirst (@KeeganHirst) August 18, 2015

Keegan also endorsed Watson's He For She campaign for gender equality, which has earned the actress high marks among activists and fans alike.

As a #HeForShe, I'm committed to #genderequality. I invite you to stand with me. @HeForShe http://t.co/sqXFqIhxtW

— Keegan Hirst (@KeeganHirst) August 18, 2015