Machan, when u say semi automatic or triptronic I dont think its exactly the same thing as " Sport Shift "
My understanging was on sport shift the gear is electronically shifted so you save on the timing of doing it mannually.( again, please correct me if I am wrong but the system on a B4 is different from a normal Japanese triptronic car, like u find on the swift- beatle shape one ) Yes maybe its far slower than 0.05 seconds on a F1 but its not that slow, and maybe faster than manual.
But with a manuall you know u are fully in control of the car, its like the drivetrain is in ur hands, where as in the sport shift u are more distant with the car. This is one of the reasons a lot of blown engines on B4 s have been due to people using sportshift without much experiance by over reving at wrong gears.