At the start of 2016, Ribbans was named in the squad for the 2016 Super Rugby season, but didn't feature in any of their matches. He played in four matches for a team that finished top of the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series, winning thirteen out of their fourteen matches. He once again reverted to the side in the second half of the season, scoring a try against in one of his six appearances in the 2016 Under-21 Provincial Championship. He also made his debut in the Currie Cup Premier Division in 2016, coming on as a replacement in their 52–31 victory over in Kimberley. He made a second appearance off the bench a week later against the , scoring his first try in first class rugby. It proved to be a vital try for Western Province who were 28–20 down at the time in a match they had to win to ensure qualification to the semi-finals, with fly-half Robert du Preez's subsequent conversion and penalty five minutes later enough to secure third place on the log for Ribbans' team. Despite this, Ribbans didn't feature in their semi-final against the , which Western Province lost 30–36 to be eliminated from the competition.