It doesn't bode well for the next-gen RS4, does it?
Like Mitlov, I'd prefer to go a little bit slower but have more fun than I would go slightly faster but have an autobox*. The RS4 already makes more sense than the RS5, if it's available with a stick while the RS5 isn't, then the choice is obvious. And it seems this is the time to buy once, since the new RS4 will probably have an auto...
* OK, so a DSG doesn't have a torque converter. But a proper manual has a manual clutch - anything else is an automatic gearbox, whether it's a traditional torque converter auto or a modern twin-clutch DSG.